Howling Wind
by Fire Princess21
Summary: Discontinued due to academic reasons. I'm sorry. 6/3/11
1. The Meeting

Hey! This is Fire Princess21. I first discovered Katekyo Hitman Reborn when my cousin told me all about it. This is my first fanfiction for this particular anime so I'm not quite sure if this like-able to you readers. But please, read my work and comment! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 1: The Meeting

Rain fell from the sky and I was barely aware of it. I only stared straight ahead of me. He was standing under the shade of an umbrella, his expression hidden by its shadow, holding another umbrella in his left grasp. I was getting soaked yet I did not move.

How curious it was that rain always fell whenever we met by pure chance.

I had originally been holding an umbrella, mind you, but a strong gust of wind blew it right out of my hands and was sailing away with the wind when he caught it.

It seemed that he came out of nowhere. But then, when he was all white, how can he not appear from out of nowhere like a lost ghost finding a home? He approached me, slowly. I could see his face now. His lips were turned up in a deceivingly friendly smile. He handed me my umbrella.

"Hey, Sakura! You should keep a tighter hold on your umbrella." He said cheerfully, in perfect Japanese, as he handed me my umbrella. I nodded and accepted it from him.

It was probably useless now that I was soaked but I couldn't let myself be perceived as a lost wet cat. His pity and amusement were the last things that I needed. I kept my face in a nonchalant expression. My poker face, if you will. I noticed he looked down at my bandaged ankle. I sprained it while playing in a soccer match yesterday that we won.

"You should really take care of yourself more." He said with a worried face. I made no answer. Meeting him out of nowhere was always a disaster. He smiled at me gently. Sometimes, I found it impossible to think that he was actually a cold, heartless killer, what with his perfect looks, those purple eyes and his unusually white hair. I was again, rendered speechless by our impromptu meeting. I cursed myself internally. How inconvenient it was, this muteness of mine!

He looked at me, apparently waiting for me to say something but I couldn't find my tongue. No matter how much I loved light rainfalls at night, I could never banish the fear and unexpectedly odd wariness it brought me that I might meet Byakuran while I walked the wet streets of the city. Finally, I found my tongue again.

"I should go. It's getting late. Thanks for getting my umbrella. I hope I didn't trouble you." I murmured. I avoided looking into those purple orbs filled with mysteries. Somehow, he always managed to look friendlier than he was sinister. He frowned.

"Sakura-chan, we've been meeting now for months. You haven't even asked me my name yet!" he said, pouting. I looked up at him for maybe the second time since we met.

"I know who you are." I answered immediately and then cringed at the hardness of my voice. "Sorry. I just had a bad day." I murmured an apology. He laughed and patted my wet head.

"I can see that." He said with his usual smile back in its place. I looked around and noticed that we were the only people standing in the rain, conversing as if it were any other fine day. I kind of expected that, too. When I didn't say anything else, he spoke.

"Ne, Sakura-chan! Can't we go to your house? I hate standing in the rain and you need to change too before you catch a cold." He said in a pleading voice. I blinked at him. Was I going to invite him? I though it best not to but something in me told me that if I didn't give my consent, he'd just follow me anyway. I agreed.

"Uh, sure." I murmured and started to walk. He quickly followed beside me.

I avoided looking into his eyes while we walked and just stared straight ahead. Once or twice, I almost narrowly avoided walking right onto a light post, only to be dragged away by Byakuran. I learned his name when we first met. It was almost a bit childish to tell but I will anyway.

_It was raining that day, just like it was every time we met. _

_It was only drizzling and I loved the feel of it on my skin. That was probably what kept me practicing on the soccer field during a drizzle. I was alone then, just like always. My teammates had gone home first and I was left to clean the field of the soccer balls and practice a bit more. It was getting a bit dark and that was the first of the many times I saw him. _

_He was just standing there, staring at me, a smile on his lips. How odd, I thought as I kicked a ball around before I aiming it to the net, that a male in white would be standing at a soccer field watching a girl practice. In my experience, most of the male student body who saw me play always looked at me with freezing contempt, snobbish eyes, treated me with hostility or just plain said, "I can do better than that!". But he wasn't doing any of those._

_He was smiling, in fact. I stopped for a minute and looked at him. He acknowledged me by waving his hand. On impulse, I waved back. Whatever the reason, I guess he took it as invitation to come over the soccer field and talk to me._

_He only had time to say his name when my friend, Miku-chan, called from her cellular phone. I answered it quickly and without letting him finish and with a final wave, I ran away. _

I didn't know why I did what I did but my intuition told me that if I didn't, I would face a horror more than what I faced in my everyday life. And this time, that gut-feeling I had every time that something really bad was going to happen when I met him was stronger. I sighed quietly under my breath.

He looked at me and spoke.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan? Is something the matter?" he asked, his voice dripping with concern. I vaguely wondered if it was real or fake.

I considered telling him that nothing was the matter but then he'd pry the truth out of me just by looking at me in the eyes. Again, it surprised me how he could compel me to tell my life story even though we've hardly had a decent conversation.

"Nothing really. I just feel… uncomfortable. I'm rarely with anyone and it makes me uneasy, especially when I'm with a stranger." I replied. I chose my words carefully. I can't have him prying more into my life than he ought to. It was unethical and unhealthy.

He pouted and for a moment I thought he looked adorable. But only for a moment. I saw a glint deep in his eyes and I looked away, afraid that he might notice I could actually _see _underneath his façade.

"I'm a stranger?" he asked in a child's pouting voice.

"Er, sort of. I don't know who exactly you are but you see to know everything there it to know about me. How am I supposed to figure that out?" I meant that lightly. I didn't even know what or why I said that. I just did. I could have bitten my tongue for asking when I heard his reply.

"You don't need to."

I stopped in my steps when I heard the undercurrent in his voice. What was it? I couldn't put my finger on what it _was _exactlybut it was something… sinister and dangerous. Like what his aura is emanating.

'Who are you?" I asked in a whisper. He merely smiled. I looked around and saw that we were alone. No one was around. Probably because I lived on the other end of the city that people rarely visited, there was no one walking in the rain. Suddenly, he bent his head to mine. I froze. Was he… going to kiss me? I gripped my bag in my hand tightly. It was filled with heavy books and I could no doubt hit him to render him unconscious. But instead, he said.

"I am Byakuran. I travel through time and space. I've known you since the day of your birth. I've met you in the different universes that I have conquered. I recognize your talent. I want you to become a part of my family, my ally. Your power will be essential to achieve my goals and to keep you from the hands of my adversaries. I'm not asking you to join me; I want you to make a choice. Lead your boring life as it is, or join me in my world of excitement." He drew back. I blinked at him.

Was this man insane? What was he talking about? Talent? I don't have one. I may be good in writing stories, in playing the violin and in soccer but other than that, I just plain sucked. Who was he kidding? Sure, I excelled in my studies, won a few competitions related to academics but there were a lot others who could do better than I did. He wanted me to join him. And how on earth did he find out about my constant feelings of boredom? That I felt there was a lot more going on in the background than what I perceived? And he had already met me before?

I was getting confused. Was he for real? Before I could have had a chance to speak, he started to walk away.

"I'll be waiting for your answer! Don't take too long though. I only have enough time. See you later!" he called as he walked away. I stared after him and shook my head. I started for home. What a lunatic…

* * *

I walked in class the next day, feeling bored and tired. The strain of the soccer practice yesterday was still in effect and I was still limping. Again, I noticed the empty seats in class. Sasagawa Kyoko, Sawada Tsunayoshi, the baseball nut Yamamoto Takeshi and that unbelievably smart Gokudera Hayato were still absent. The kids that followed Tsunayoshi were missing too.

I wondered where they all went, I thought as I sat down. It couldn't be possible that they were ditching school just for the fun of it. I was friends with Kyoko though we weren't close and I sometimes helped Yamamoto with his assignments whenever we were paired together for projects and I knew that they weren't the kind of people to just ditch class. It wouldn't have been suspicious, had it only been Gokudera and Tsunayoshi since Gokudera worshipped and followed Tsunayoshi but with Kyoko and Yamamoto gone, everything seemed different. I smiled a bit. Well, it wasn't my problem. Now maybe I was finally going to be able to eat lunch at my coveted spot: the rooftop.

Call me crazy, but I just loved the fresh open air. I used to eat there alone all the time whenever the trio, Tsunayoshi, Yamamoto and Gokudera, weren't there but ever since they started to hang out together for some strange reason, they've coincidentally chosen to eat there every time. It kind of irritated me but I just let it go. That Sawada kid needed friends since he was always alone. It was good to find out that he had finally been able to find friends on his own.

We had been classmates since elementary but I doubted if he noticed, Sawada and I. He was always off in his own world and I used to watch him when no one was which was always. His personality intrigued me. I knew he was a kind person though he was a coward but I knew he contained some kind of hidden courage underneath all that cowardice.

Funny that even if we didn't know each other I've always regarded him with some sort of revered respect and never insulted his inabilities like the rest of our classmates.

I guess I just knew a person's special talent by being and observing them long enough. That sounds like bragging though…

The bell rang, signaling for lunch. A few of my classmates invited me to join them but I declined with a smile and 'thank you'. I noticed Kurokawa-san sitting glumly by herself so I made it a point to say something nice to her.

As I walked out of the classroom, I stopped beside her and said, "If you're worrying about Kyoko-san, I'm sure she's fine. She is with Sawada after all. She'll be fine. You'll see her again soon." With a reassuring smile. She stared at me, utterly surprised.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Do you know something?" she asked in surprise. I shook my head.

"No. It's just intuition. Don't you find it odd that Sawada, Yamamoto, Gokudera and she are missing all at the same time? Anyway, don't look so glum. I'm sure she misses you too, wherever she is. 'Bye then!" I said with a wave and a smile and left the classroom. I wasn't quite sure if my words had any effect on her but I caught a glimpse of her face break out in relief. I smiled to myself.

I always had that effect on people. They always said that my presence alone was comforting and assuring. Maybe that was why we always won the soccer matches but then, I'm not sure. I climbed the stairs leading to the rooftop, feeling better with each step. I then realized how long it exactly was since I had last visited the rooftop. My smile grew wider.

Bright sunlight greeted me as soon as I stepped on the rooftop and I absorbed all its warmth. There was no sign of yesterday's rain, just a bright clear blue sky overhead. I stretched my arms and I yawned. I was still sleepy as I didn't sleep much from last night because I had to study and Byakuran's message bothered me bit. I sighed. The more I thought about his message, the more confusing it meant. I knew what he meant but what puzzled me was his intent. Why me? Why was I the only one chosen? There were a lot other students who were more competent and capable than I was. Yamamoto had perfect reflexes. Sawada alone was powerful enough and Gokudera was also fearsome. But why me? Then a thought occurred to me.

The disappearance of Kyoko, Sawada, Gokudera, Yamamoto, the children… Byakuran's appearance and odd message… Could they be connected? He did say that he had conquered other universes, traveled through time and space and had even met me before.

Was he hinting at an alternate universe?

I creased my forehead in thought. Lunch forgotten, I began to theorize about the possible meaning of all these occurrences. That child who wore a suit and was always with Sawada… Somehow _he_ had started the ball rolling. And now here I was, about to be involved. Was it worth it, though? The danger. I anticipated that. But what exactly was going on? I could dismiss the child easily as something else entirely but what Byakuran had said… That was the disturbing part. Time, space, universe… The three words swirled through my head, making me dizzy. I groaned.

"Aahhh!!! What did I get myself into now? What does it mean?" I said aloud to no one in particular. Then realization dawned on me the same time someone's eyelids fluttered open in annoyance.

Time travel! Byakuran could time travel! That was the secret. In my elation, I shouted aloud.

"Time travel! That's why they're all missing." I said in glee. I turned around to run downstairs but was met by a figure. I clutched my bento box tightly. He looked very irritated and _very_ murderous. I gulped mentally.

I had totally forgotten that the rooftop was also Hibari Kyouya's, the head of the Disciplinary Committee, favorite sleeping place and haunt. How inconvenient. Apparently, I had woken him from a nap and now he was out to bite me to death. I stood my ground. He may be the scariest person in Namimori but I would not back down.

"You disturbed my sleep, herbivore." He said in a monotone voice.

"Gomenasai. I didn't know. I'm really sorry for disturbing you." I replied respectfully. He took out his tonfa and took a ready stance.

"I'll bite you to death for that." He said and ran towards me. I sighed in aggravation. I knew he'd say that. With my sprain, I wouldn't be able to fight him at my usual strength. I got ready for his attack.

I had a bit of a scuffle with Hibari a while back so he had a sort of grudge against me and we were acquainted, if you could call me being one of the people in his hit list that.

We were playing soccer and a teammate of mine accidentally kicked him with a soccer ball. It wasn't that hard though but then, anything pissed him off even _after _we'd apologized. I saw my teammate, Sasuke, the one who had accidentally a soccer ball at him, now shaking in fear. An unexplainable anger surged through me and just as he was about to attack him, I stepped in. I held his wrist and said in the most amiable voice I could manage, "Senpai, he's already said he's sorry. What more do you want? It was just an accident. Please leave him alone." He turned to me to attack but I evaded it just in time. He ran forward to land a series of attacks but I was able to evade them all. My classmates were cheering me on but a look from Hibari sent them away. Only the soccer team remained. They all looked uneasy and afraid. Then, for an unexplainable reason, he drew back. He left without a word to my immense relief and puzzlement.

Now though, it looked as if he was here to settle the score.

I was able to evade his attack but my reaction time was too slow so I got nipped on my wrist. Holding my wrist, I limped accidentally when I tried to take a step and he seemed to notice. He looked at my bandaged foot and then at me. Then, he returned his tonfa and walked towards the door. On impulse, I called to him.

"Hey! Aren't you going to kill me?" I asked. He looked back and said simply.

"I don't want to fight an injured herbivore." And walked away. I stared after him. But just as he reached the door, it opened, revealing a blond male. He looked foreign.

"Hey, there, Kyouya! Can we talk?" he asked. The foreigner looked cute. Then his attention turned to me. "Ah, you have a girlfriend!" he said in a teasing way. I paled. I waited for his murderous reaction.

"_That herbivore is not my 'girlfriend'." _He said in a cold voice. I flinched. Somehow, that managed to hurt. "A _herbivore_ like her could never be and I'm not interested." He added.

"Same here." I said for emphasis. The blond raised his eyebrows.

"Really? I heard that she was the only female to be able to completely dodge your attacks." He said. In an instant, Hibari drew out his tonfa again and pressed it to his throat. I bent my legs to assist the blond if needed even though I was incapable myself. He surprised me when he used a hand to push Hibari's tonfa away and went past him to me. He was smiling, oblivious to Hiabari's thundering rage or was just used to it. He approached me with a smile.

"Hey there! I'm Dino." He said, extending his hand for a shake. I took it awkwardly, more used to a formal bow.

"I'm Hitako Sakura but you can call me Sakura-chan. It's nice to meet you!" I said with bow. He smiled.

"You're polite. My student Hibari could learn a thing or two from you." He said. My eyes widened. They were actually related? And he was Hibari's teacher? Then I looked over his shoulder and noticed Hibari leaning against the wall beside another man, presumably Dino-san's companion. I was surprised that he actually stayed. Dino's voice brought my attention back to him.

"You're injured." He said pointing to my sprained, bandaged foot.

"Oh, it's nothing really! I kind of twisted it in a soccer match. I was just clumsy." I said, trying to make light of it.

"Soccer? Then you must be Nami-chu's new raising soccer star, Hitako Sakura! You must the one that's being reported in the news today. I heard you could probably match Yamamoto Takeshi." He said in an awed voice.

"N-no! Of course not. I still have a lot more to catch up on. Sumimasen! I have to go now." I said and quickly fled downstairs, wincing in pain because of my sprain.

Dino laughed. "What a curious child!" he commented. Hibari walked towards him.

"What do you want to talk about? Make it quick. I want to go back to sleep." He said irritably. Dino then turned serious.

"I haven't heard from Reborn-san for a while now and Tsuna's missing along with Haru, Sasagawa's younger sister, Yamamoto and Gokudera. I-pin and Lambo are also missing. I was wondering if you'd know where they went." He said.

"How should I know? I don't have a responsibility to keep an eye out for those herbivores." Hibari replied. He raised his tonfa and Dino sighed and took out his whip.

"Yare, yare, Kyouya-kun. You really never change." He said as they charged forward.

* * *

So that's it for chapter 1! I hope you liked it. It might take me a few months like two or three to update this since school is keeping me really busy but I will update when I have the time. Thank you very much for reading! I hope to see your comments!


	2. My Irregular Saturday

Hey there! I know it's been weeks since I last updated but I was just so busy with school work that I didn't even have the time to write. I hope you'll forgive me. And thank you so much for all those awesome reviews! Here are some personal messages for the people who gave me such awesome reviews:

**5FIVE5: Thank you so very much! I'm very glad you liked it. I promise I'll make it better as the story progresses.**

**jha otaku: Thanks very much for the tip! I'll make sure to correct my mistake. Sorry about that, too. I kind of got it mixed up when I read about that ability of Byakuran's. And yes, this is the time when they went to the future. Thank you very much!**

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you very much for the comment! I'm so very sorry if I have made you wait too long. My teachers just love giving us long, hard assignments and even harder quizzes (well, just one teacher in particular). Thank you for your patience!**

**Blacklightningwolf: Thank you for the review! I'll make sure to keep you interested in my story. Thank you very much!**

**IcHiGo KyArA: Thank you very much! (Man, how many times have I said that?) ^-^ I'll update as soon as I am able regularly especially since our summer is coming up soon in a month. Thank you for your patience!**

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 2: My Irregular Saturday

The sun had barely risen up the horizon but I was already putting on my rubber shoes, and had already cleaned my room and taken a bath. The rest of the household was still asleep although they would be up very soon.

I breathed in deeply as I took in the fresh air outside. Carefully rotating my ankle, making sure it was fully healed already; I began to jog as was my weekend routine.

I wasn't really a fitness fan but I got this idea from Kyoko's older brother that in order to increase my stamina, I should run around the town a few times. And since I was desperate on making the soccer team back then, I did as he told me. For the first few times, he accompanied me and I could barely make it on one round without panting but after I got the hang of it, I was able to jog around Namimori for three times. It helped me buff up my stamina and made me lose weight so even after I was able to join the soccer team, I still kept going at it only reducing my jogging time to weekend morning and sometimes once around the town before classes started.

I was on my second round of jogging when I happened to pass by Nami-chu. Though I expected the school gates to be empty and devoid of any living human soul, I saw that blond foreigner Dino standing just in front of it. He was looking up at the rooftop of the school building, as if looking for something. He turned around when he heard me approach.

"Oya, Sakura-chan! Good morning!" he said cheerfully as soon as I approached him. I smiled tentatively, not sure what this man wanted so early in the morning and why he was standing in front of the school.

"Ohayo, Dino-san!" I said with a slight bow. He chuckled.

"You don't need to bow, Sakura-chan! Anyway, have you seen Hibari?" he asked. I shook my head, my forehead creased in thought.

"No, I haven't. I just went out to jog this morning but I haven't seen him. It is a Saturday and he spends most of his time here, at school so I think you should be able to find him here." I replied, doubtful. Why did he want to see Hibari so early in the morning? Though he looked like he survived with only a few scratches from their fight, I doubted Hibari would very much like to see him now. I frowned a bit. "Maybe he's in the reception room." I suggested. Dino chuckled.

"Kyouya sure loves Nami-chu. Thanks, Sakura-chan! See you around!" he said and jumped over the school wall. I watched in silent horror as he landed on his face on the ground. Tentatively, I jumped over the wall with more finesse than him and knelt down to where he lay.

"Um, Dino-san? Are you all right?" I asked worriedly. Was this really the man who had survived Hibari's attacks? I thought. I helped him up gently.

"Ow! That hurt." He muttered under his breath. Then he smiled up at me. I was supporting his arm to help him stand. "This happens all the time when my subordinates aren't around..." he explained, scratching his head. I blinked. He was really a klutz when his subordinates weren't around him? How unusual.

That would explain the man who had accompanied him to the rooftop the other day. I tried to look for a possible way that would save him from Hibari's deadly tonfas.

"Shouldn't you call _at least_ one of them here then?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I … sent them back to place we're staying." He replied. I could detect nervousness in his voice. Maybe he knew about his own impending doom too.

I sighed internally.

He'd be useless against Hibari in this case and that meant he was as good as dead.

There would be no choice but to accompany him and ensure his safety, I thought. Even though the thought of it terrified me, I couldn't just _leave_ him alone with Hibari. If he were hurt-or worse, dead- then it would be on my conscience. I cursed my annoying habit of butting into other people's business.

"Then, I guess I should accompany you and look for him." I offered. I was rather hesitant but my conscience just _wouldn't_ let me back out.

"R-really?" he asked surprised. I nodded. His lips turned into a wide grin and we started to walk towards the school building.

I was glad I had worn my favorite running shoes. I would be doing a lot of running today.

My heart was beating in my throat loudly when we approached the Reception Room. My palms were sweating. Dino followed me without the slightest hint of worry. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I knocked on the door hesitantly.

I waited for a few moments but no one answered. I sighed. There were two possible reasons: One, he was inside but refused to answer the door. Two, there was probably no one in there. I was fervently hoping for possibility number two as I softly opened the door.

Unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky though.

I saw him standing there, his back to me, staring out the window. He turned when I entered. I was speechless and my heart throbbed harder and louder than before. His eyes were shadowed so I couldn't tell exactly what his expression was. Then, when he looked at me in the face, I saw murderous anger in his eyes.

I was going to die.

"Oya, Kyouya-kun!" Dino greeted from behind me. That snapped me out of my momentary panic-induced state. I used that time to compose myself as Dino walked past me to Hibari, seemingly unaware again of his murderous expression. He stopped in front of me.

"Are you going to help me?" Dino asked him.

"No, Cavallone. I will not. I told you before: They are not my responsibility. Go look for them yourself." Hibari answered in a monotone voice.

"Aww… Come on, Kyouya! You're part of the Vongola family now. Their welfare is of your concern."

"No. And I never said I wanted to be part of that herbivore's family." At this, Hiabri took out his tonfa. I stiffened. Were they going to fight now? Dino sighed and took out his whip.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it." Dino said and then he turned to look at me. "Sakura-chan, you might want to get out of here." He said cheerfully.

"Um, I don't think-" before I could finish my sentence, Hibari attacked. He rushed forward and Dino got his whip out but since he was basically useless without his subordinates, he hit himself instead. He fell to the floor even before Hibari touched him. I sighed maybe for the millionth time that week.

I was going to regret ever involving myself with this kind of company.

I jumped gracefully over Dino's fallen form and put myself between him and Hibari. I was able to stop his tonfa using my hand. A year of playing as the goalie of our team before they changed my position made my hands firmer so I was able to stop Hibari's tonfa. I felt a bit smug because of this. He brought his other tonfa to attack but I nimbly jumped out of the way, releasing his other tonfa. He glared at me.

"You have a habit for intervening, herbivore." He said as he stood straight. His tonfas were still at his side but I was a bit relieved that he wouldn't attack. Not yet.

"So I was told." I replied. I tried to keep my face serious and forbidding but he wasn't buying it.

He smirked at my obvious distress. "I believe we still have an unfinished score to settle."

I paled. He _did_ mean to fight! But how was I even going to have any chance of winning? I didn't have any weapons! I began to theorize of the possible ways that I could beat him.

There were none.

I raised my fists, not sure what stance to take. But then, I was going to lose just the same, right? Why bother fighting then? I lowered them and shrugged.

"You can beat me up if you want to. I don't know how to fight anyway so even if I can evade your attacks, I can't fight back." I told him. He blinked. _No one_ had ever refused him a fight before.

"You're giving up?" he asked. I could detect surprise in his voice though it was properly concealed.

"You could say that. But then, I don't really know how to fight so either way, I'd lose. What's the point in fighting for a lost cause? It's simple logic, really. Why waste your time on something you're bound not to get? I don't have a craving for bloodlust like you do Hibari- senpai." I replied. "And anyway, I just came here to accompany Dino-san. Now that I have, I'd better go now. I don't want to impose on any of you." I added and made for the door. But before I did, a tonfa flashed at my throat and I was held back, my hand just inches from the doorknob…

Damn.

"Then we'll just have to teach you, won't we?" he said with a smirk. My face became paler, if he could notice.

I ducked under his arm but I was too slow. His other tonfa smacked right into my stomach. I was sent sprawling over the floor and I barely had time to stand up when he attacked again. I rolled away just in time before his tonfa made contact with my head. I winced when I touched my stomach. That wasn't very light either. I was sure to have a bruise there later. I stood up and backed away but I almost hit a vase on a table when I did if I hadn't sidestepped it. He frowned.

"Let's do this on the rooftop. I don't want to leave a mess here." He said and walked towards the door. But before he left, he turned around and said, "If you try to escape, I'll make sure to hunt you down and bite you to death." And then he closed the door behind him. I shuddered. That was certainly horrifying.

I turned around when I heard Dino speak.

"Gomenasai, Sakura-chan. I'm very sorry for dragging you into this." He apologized as he sat up. I helped him up. "Kyouya-kun is still so stubborn." He added with a sigh, scratching his head."

"It's okay, I guess. This was bound to happen soon enough. You better go now before he tries to kill you for real. I better go up there. He'll be expecting me." I said. Without another word, I left the room and proceeded to the stairs leading to the rooftop.

My fearful anticipation grew with each step that I took. It was enough that I had to be careful not to bump into anyone who would beat me up; it was too much to actually go to a person who wanted to _actually_ kill me. The mere thought of Hibari Kyouya raised goose bumps on my arms.

I had to narrow my eyes when bright sunlight greeted me as I stepped onto the rooftop. I scanned the place for Hibari and saw him standing just a few meters in front of me, calmly looking around him. A cute yellow bird was perched on his shoulder and it was singing the school anthem. I almost smiled.

The bird and Hibari certainly _did not_ mix.

He turned his head when he heard me approach. I stood beside him but I kept my distance as I knew he disliked crowds. I was getting nervous, more so than usual. Was he going to attack me? He wasn't making any move to. I still kept up my guard though. I was tense, so much so that I kept myself remained in a rigid impassive stance. Anyone would think I was made out of marble. Hibari inclined his head towards me.

"Why did you come, herbivore?" he asked. "Do you really want to fight?"

I blinked at him in surprise. "Didn't you tell me to come here?" I asked.

He turned his head back to the view. "I wanted to get rid of that Cavallone herbivore. He's getting on my nerves." He replied.

"Everyone gets on your nerves." I shot back automatically. I bit my lip as soon as the words were out. I was very sure that if my presence didn't irk him, what I had just said will.

To my surprise, he _actually_ smirked. "You're observant, herbivore." He said.

I shrugged. "Sometimes, when I actually care enough to pay attention…" I answered absentmindedly. I was looking at the view before me. The Nami-chu's courtyard before us and the outlines of the mountains in the far north of Namimori could be seen from the rooftop. How long has it been since I last came here and took time to look at my surroundings? A very long time, apparently-excluding my trip here last week since I didn't get a look around much. I had totally forgotten how pretty the scenery could be.

The silence between us was oddly relaxing. It gave me a chance to empty my mind about my usually hectic schedule and just savor the moment I was having. Then, unexpectedly, I murmured a few lines of poetry, as was my constant habit- weird as it may sound.

"'Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive…'" I murmured to myself. It was a line from Wordsworth. It was a special favorite of mine. Hibari turned his head towards me.

"You read, herbivore?" he asked.

I nodded faintly. Then I looked at my cellular phone. I gasped when I saw the time.

"Oh shoot! I'm late." I said to myself. I bowed to Hibari and said as I ran towards the door, "Bye, Hibari-san! I need to go now. Thanks for not biting me to death today!" and then left.

Hibari could only stare at my retreating figure before he continued to watch the scenery before, a very small smirk on his lips. "A weird herbivore…" he muttered to himself as he softly stroked the head of the bird.

* * *

I was panting by the time soccer practice ended that afternoon. Our coach had been angry because most of the members were still out celebrating our team's 'big win' last week when they should have been training. As a result, our coach vented his frustration on our group of newbie by making us do overtime on the field.

It was irritating because I had planned to go home earlier than usual and practice violin because I had an upcoming recital and the piece I was supposed to play still sounded like 'a cat scraping his claws against a blackboard', according to my music teacher.

"Hitako! Straighten up." My coach yelled at me in his annoying drill voice. He was particularly angry at me because I came in five minutes late for soccer practice a while ago. I had drifted off in bed after I came home from the rooftop of the school and, in consequence, I had been late in our ten o'clock meeting in the morning for about five minutes when I was practically the first one to arrive there! I nodded and stood straight, waiting for the ball to be passed to me.

Sasuke kicked the ball towards me and I ran to kick it to the net. Two of our teammates tried to steal the ball from me but I was able to maneuver it out of their way and kicked the ball straight at the net, completely ignoring the goalie. I did it fast enough that the goalie didn't even see it coming. I smiled when I was able to do it. For a second there, I thought I was going to miss!

Sasuke jogged up to me and clapped me on my back. "Good job, Sakura-chan! I guess coach ought to be satisfied now." He said, lowering his voice as he said the last line. I laughed. Our other four team members- the only ones in attendance- grinned at us and commented on a good practice today in spite of the seniors' absence. Our coach's mood even mellowed out some and sent us home with good remarks.

I was walking home with Sasuke and my other teammates when we met the Shokyouku thugs.

They were the ones we had beaten at the soccer match last week and they hadn't taken that loss like good sports.

No, like all thugs, they wanted revenge.

It was just our luck that we had happened to walk right past them.

"Well, well… It looks like we've got some Namimori rats scurrying right in front of us." One of them drawled as we walked past them. There were six of them, leaning against a wall, smoking cigars. I kept my eyes fixed firmly ahead of me. Fighting them would be useless, I thought. My other teammates apparently thought so too so we walked past without making much of an event.

Too bad the Shoukyoku thugs took our silence as some kind of insult. Oh joy…

One of them suddenly grabbed Sasuke who was nearest to him by the collar and shook him.

"I just insulted you, kid! Speak up." He said in a menacing voice. All at once, the other Shoukyoku students circled us into a corner like chickens. Now there would be no escape.

I groaned inwardly.

If Hibari wasn't able to kill me today, these thugs would do the job.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He was too scared to. I was also. I mean, what kind of sane person just insulted you and then decided to beat you up for no reason at all?

Only idiots who think they could beat us into a pulp like them.

The thug who held Sasuke by the collar raised his fist to punch him. Sasuke closed his eyes, waiting for the impact and I froze.

He was going to _punch_ my friend for no reason at all!

I clenched my teeth, suddenly feeling murderous anger course through me.

Before the thug could punch him however, I stepped in yet again. I was sure I was going to regret intervening but I couldn't just stand there and watch him hurt my friend. I held the thug's hand before he hit Sasuke and tightened my grasp to release him. (I have a very tight hold from two years of playing soccer.) When he dropped Sasuke, I released his hand and he turned his anger to me.

"Who do you think you are, eh girl?" he asked in a menacing tone, massaging his wrist.

"I allow no one to hurt my friends." I answered evenly in a cool, monotone voice, feigning nonchalance. Showing them fear would only make them feel more powerful.

He snickered.

"Then try this on for size!" he bellowed and aimed a punch at me. I neatly side-stepped his attack and caught his wrist, twisting his arm behind him. Then I kicked his back and sent him sprawling on the ground. The rest of his gang watched in horror at what I did and now zeroed in on me.

This was going to be painful.

They all rushed at me, their fists raised with slow speed. I almost smirked if I had a craving for blood lust like them.

I was able to evade their attacks, being faster than them. I stepped back when one of them punched from right and ducked when one came from the left, effectively punching the one on my right since he missed me. My knee met the chin of my oncoming attacker and flew up in the air a few inches before I aimed a kick in his stomach. I used a flying kick at another one's head.

They all lay on the ground, moaning in pain. I thought they had given up but one by one, they stood up again, wincing in pain, their faces were masks of obvious anger.

And I thought movies with zombies rising from the dead were scary enough.

I gulped as they walked towards me but they stopped suddenly when they were inches away from me. They had identical looks of horror on their faces and were looking behind me. I looked back at the same time Hibari walked past me. I only saw the red band with the words prefect on the sleeve of his shirt and I knew that he had heard our fighting. After all, we were only a few meters away from the school gate. He must have been attracted by our fighting.

Whipping out his tonfa from out of nowhere, he approached the Shoukyoku thugs who were backing away in fear. "You will learn not to disrupt the peace of my school, herbivore." He said and proceeded to beat them up.

I watched in slight awe and horror as he beat up the Shoukyoku thugs in two minutes flat.

When he finished, he walked towards me. I thought he wanted to fight me now that I had somehow been able to fend off the Shoukyoku thugs but instead, he said,

"You were too soft, herbivore. Next time you fight, make sure you knock them out or they might not be that stupid the second time around."

"But I don't know how to fight properly! What I did a while ago was just a surprise to me. I didn't even know I could do that." I blurted out defensively. Now that my anger had subsided, I was acting sanely now and I just realized that I had _actually _hit someone for the first time, with the exception of my cousins when we were little.

"Fighting is instinct, herbivore. Remember that." He said and walked away. I blinked after him, slowly repeating the words in my head.

"_Fighting is instinct, herbivore. Remember that."_

I sighed.

I definitely will have to.

* * *

Okay! So Chapter Two wasn't that exciting or nice but when I wrote chapter one, I really didn't think of publishing it. It was just on impulse that I did. I never expected to get as much reviews as I did.

I'm so very sorry this took such a long time to publish! I have a LOT of school work to do. This will be my last for exactly three weeks. It's our final exams and I have to make good in studying lest I fail in Math and Biology.

Again, I'm really sorry for disappointing you with this chapter. I hope you would still review though and give me some pointers and some suggestions as well if you'd like. Thank you so very much for your patience! I swear after the duration of those three weeks, I'll come up with the third chapter that will really capture your attention! Thank you for reading!


	3. The Inevitable Visitors

Hey, there again! I'm so very sorry this took longer to update! I seemed to have lost my inspiration for a time. It took me days to find it again. Apparently, late night studying really cleaned out my brain for any ideas I might have had. I'm so very sorry! This time, I'll make sure to update at least once a week or more- just as soon as I come up with new ideas. I will have to watch Katekyo Hitman Reborn again just to get the timeline right but since I enjoy watching, that won't be much of a chore.

Thank you so very much too all the people who reviewed and took time to read my work! I've never felt so appreciated before! XD It's just that at school, my compositions don't get that much praise. Thank you so very much! Now for the personal messages:

**x3iLoveAnime.: Thanks very much for the review! I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I have the student's usual dilemma: school work. But since its summer here already, I'll be able to update as fast as the ideas come to me. Thank you very much for your patience!**

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you for your encouraging messages and comments! I promise to the best of my abilities to keep you interested in my story.**

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 3: The Inevitable Visitors

Light streamed in from my bedroom window, followed by the insistent ringing of my alarm clock and I slowly opened my eyes. Immediately, I got up and turned it off. Staring at the clock, I was surprised to note that it was only a half past five in the morning.

_Now why would I set my alarm so early in the morning? _I thought to myself as I got in the shower. I shrugged it off and continued to prepare for school.

I didn't notice that there were four pairs of eyes silently watching me from my slightly ajar bedroom door.

I walked to the dining room sleepily and was surprised to see that breakfast had already been set though no one else was eating or up yet, for that matter. I yawned and sat down to eat, still too tired to be alert.

I was about to take my first bite though when I thought I heard noise from behind me and the small sound of metal clashing against each other and set down my spoon. I tilted my head to my left and at that precise moment, I almost narrowly avoided being slashed by knives that suddenly flew my way. I only noticed that they were _actually _knives when I saw them sticking out of the wall. Alarmed and now fully awake, I jumped from my seat and raised my arms, taking up a defensive position.

I glared at the doorway to the kitchen, waiting for someone to show up and reveal himself but no one did. It was eerily silent and all I could hear was the nervous throbbing of my own heart. I then forced myself to relax and smoothed down my skirt. I sat back down to eat again but never once did I let my guard down.

I was walking towards school when the second life-threatening situation happened.

I was about to approach the school gate when suddenly, I felt someone running towards me quickly. I looked back and ducked just before a sword chopped off my head. I barely had time to register my attacker when he swung his sword again, which I found attached to his hand. I jumped back and paused for a second and got a good look at my attacker. He had a maniacal grin on his face and really long silver-white hair. He was wearing a black suit and looked very dangerous. I gulped.

Life just seemed to love me, didn't it?

"Haha! You are as agile as he says, girl! But no one can beat me. I am the Sword Emperor, Superbi Squalo!" he said. I paled. I could sense that this guy had a fetish for fighting.

I seemed to be meeting a lot of them these days.

He continued to swing his sword at me and I had no choice but to run and evade. After all, what chance did I have? I ran towards the school and climbed the stairs two at a time. I started to think back to any past events that might have led me to this unfortunate encounter.

Sadly, I couldn't think of any. That meant that Squalo was just a guy who wanted to kill me for fun.

I wanted to scream at the thought.

I reached the door of the rooftop and stumbled out, tripping at the door and skinning my knee. I was just about to get up when a tonfa suddenly appeared at my forehead, Hibari's menacing glare looking down at me.

"What are you doing here so early, herbivore?" he asked coldly. I could only sit there, with my mouth hanging agape in silence, trying to swallow the fact that I was being chased by a maniac who wanted to stab me and cut me into little pieces. That wasn't such a pleasant thought. He prodded my forehead lightly, noting my look of fear and my state of shock.

"Answer me or I'll bite you to death." He warned me. Shaking my head, I opened my mouth to answer but I heard footsteps coming from the staircase. Quickly, I stood up and pushed Hibari away before Squalo burst in, taking the door off its hinges.

"No where to run now, girlie!" he said smirking. "I'll finish you off!"

My complexion became paler. Why, oh why, had life deemed me unworthy to live?

He continued to stab at me and I continued to evade, backing away as his jabs got nearer. I was panicking. What was I supposed to do? I had no options left, no place to run, nothing to defend myself with.

I bumped into the metal fence of the rooftop and the cold realization dawned on me that I was cornered. Trapped. I watched him run towards me, his triumphant smile now wider as he knew I sensed my impending death.

"You're dead, girl!" he said and swung his sword to slice me. I ducked as a last ditch attempt to save myself and he sliced through the metal mesh instead and part of it fell, barely hanging on to the ground. He swung his sword below me and I jumped to avoid it but since I was on the edge of the roof, I slipped and almost fell if I hadn't grabbed on to the metal fence.

"Sayonara, girl!" he said and was about to completely cut the metal fence that I was hanging onto when Hibari spoke.

He drew out his tonfas and said in a deadly monotone voice, "You'll pay for destroying school property, herbivore." And he charged to attack. Squalo deflected his attacks easily and scowled at Hibari.

"This is none of your business, boy! Don't make me try to kill you." Squalo hissed. Hibari smirked.

"I'd like to see you try, Varia. As I well remember, we beat you at the Ring Conflict. Shouldn't you be running scared?" he said in mockery. Squalo jumped away but Hibari caught him in the stomach. Squalo tried to pierce Hiabri's side but he quickly evaded his attack and parried the next one. They continued to fight as I climbed the metal fence and hoisted myself up to safety. The small irritation that had been growing inside me now escalated to a full blown anger.

Squalo was in for a major payback for ruining my perfectly good morning, save for the mysterious knives that tried to skin me a while ago.

I wasn't about to let anybody fight my battles either.

Stepping in front of Hibari, I glared at Squalo and he grinned at me.

"You're finally going to fight, eh girl?" he asked me. I raised my fists and he smirked before he charged at me.

I continued to evade his attacks as before but this time, I chose to observe him closely, waiting for an opening. I saw my chance when he gave me continuous jabs and jumped up on his sword. Before he could react, I kicked his head and aimed a kick at his stomach before flipping back on my feet as gracefully as I could manage. He stumbled and almost fell from the impact but he caught himself.

I clenched my teeth.

I launched a series of kicks at him, most of which he was able to evade and punched him once in the gut. I flipped back as he tried to stand up from my attacks and I was about to kick him again when Hibari put his tonfa in front of me. I glared at him.

"Get to class, herbivore. You'll be late." He said. I didn't say anything else as I grabbed my bag which I had dropped by the doorway and proceeded to class, noting that I had only a few minutes left before the bell rang. I gave Squalo one last murderous glare on my way out.

I really needed a suitable weapon now.

"You weren't giving your best, herbivore. I thought you wanted to kill her." Hibari said as he watched Squalo wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Squalo snorted.

"Her cousin said not to kill her yet. I was only to assess her abilities. If he weren't an ally, I would have killed her. She's too soft. Just like that Yamamoto kid. But she has potential. You saw it in her too, right? She's just hesitating in bringing it out" Squalo replied. Hibari raised an eyebrow. He dropped his tonfas to his side, curiosity piqued.

"Her cousin is one of the most powerful allies of the Vongola family. Her grandfather is the boss though her cousin is soon to take charge. She doesn't know about any of this though. They're only half-cousins after all. You're going to meet him soon enough. Anyway, I'm outta here. I'll just send someone over to fix the casualties. And make sure she stays after school. We still have something in store for her to complete the assessment." Squalo said and left. Hibari stroked the head of Hibird as it landed on his shoulder, interested in the herbivore's so-called assessment.

* * *

"Come on, Sakura! Kick the ball here." Sasuke shouted at me as I was kicking the ball towards the goal. Nodding, I passed the ball to him and with one swift kick; he aimed it at the net, making us win the scoring point. I ran over to him and gave him a high five.

"Awesome job, Sasuke!" I commented as we walked to the locker room with our other teammates after practice. He grinned at me and ruffled my head, being a head taller.

"You're not too bad yourself!" he said. I smiled at him.

Sasuke had always been supportive of me when I chose to join the soccer team. Whenever I thought I wanted to quit and give up, he was always there to encourage me and help me improve myself. Though he was often called a wimp, to me, he was just a sweet older brother who had a really soft side.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard someone say, "Sakura-san, Hibari-senpai is here to see you. I think he wants something." I snapped my head up at that and indeed Hibari was waiting for me outside of the locker room, leaning against the wall. He gave my teammates one look and they all scampered to get away as quickly as possible. Only Sasuske remained at my side. I smiled at him and nodded. He hesitated to leave but when he saw Hibari's glare, he walked away with a doubtful look at me. I just smiled at him and waited for him to leave before I approached Hibari.

"Good afternoon, Hibari-san! What can I do for you?" I asked politely. I was shaking inside. What did he want now? Surely he wasn't going to punish me for this morning. It wasn't my fault after all! Then again, he didn't seem to care who did what as long as his school was in perfect shape and order. I sighed mentally. I seemed to be putting myself in places I'd rather not be.

"You have detention for breaking school property. For your detention, clean up the school courtyard." He said and walked away. I blinked at him in surprise. That was it? No punishment like 'I'll bite you to death' and force me to fight him? No beating me up?

I let out the pent-up breath I didn't realize I was holding.

If that was the only punishment I would receive, then that was better than death or hospitalization. I hurried over to the school courtyard and grabbed a broom and began my so-called unjust punishment.

The thought of running home _had_ crossed my mind, as I swept, feeling a bit uneasy and suspicious as to why Hibari would give me such a light punishment for something I didn't do but thought it best not to go through with it for he was sure to 'bite me to death' tomorrow.

I didn't realize I was going to meet trouble far more than I had bargained for.

"Alright! Now that I've finished, I hope Hibari-san won't bite me to death for leaving." I said to myself as I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand, leaning on the broom I was holding while surveying the school courtyard.

It hadn't really been that dirty to begin with. There were just a lot of scattered leaves on the ground and all I did was to sweep them up. That hadn't taken much of my time but the school was already devoid of any students-even the sports club- when I finished. I was returning the broom to the storage shed when I felt someone watching me. I turned back to see a boy, somewhat near my age, with shoulder-length light brown hair, looking at me. He had clear blue eyes and again, he looked foreign. I gave him a tentative smile and spoke in English, in case he didn't understand Japanese.

"_May I help you?_" I asked him. He surprised me by answering in Japanese.

"Thy name is Basil. Thou must come with thee. Thy life is in danger." He said seriously. I raised an eyebrow. I found it strange for anyone to be speaking in old Japanese so I hesitated. Maybe this person was just confused. I tried again.

"Ano, maybe you have the wrong person? I'm not sure I know you from anywhere…" I said hesitantly. I heard a loud explosion outside and rushed to see what was happening and saw the guy from this morning, fighting with Dino. Dino was holding his sword off with his whip and they looked to be arguing. I saw that Dino's companion was watching from the side.

I ran to get out of the shed but Basil blocked my way with his arm. "Thou cannot interfere. Go home, thy life is in danger." He said in a grim tone. I glared at him.

"Excuse me, but I was fighting Squalo a while ago. I'd like to finish my business with him and I have a few questions to ask." I said and grabbed a metal pole lying within my reach and pushed him out of my way. I heard Dino and Squalo talking as I got closer.

"You can't subject her to this! She's too young." Dino was saying.

"Your Vongola Decimo is as old as her and I don't see anyone complaining. He was just as clueless too and idiotic. If anything, she has more skill than that brat. Besides, you have no say in this, Bucking Bronco. He enlisted our help and we are free to do as we wish. Even fighting you. I say you leave us and let me do what I came here for or fight him later. It's your choice." Squalo replied.

"Tsuna is different! He had a direct link to the Vongola- his father. She doesn't have any. They're only half-related. She doesn't even know him! How can he decide for her?"

"It's already been decided, Cavallone. The Ninth has spoken. She was chosen because she has the ability and the prowess. Why don't you let us test her out? If she's fit, we'll let you handle her. After all, we were only sent to assess her. If she's not, we'll leave her be and this will all be just a distant horrible memory- that is, if she lives to remember." Someone said from above me. I looked up the same time they did and saw an ungodly beauty with a sinister look in his eyes.

He was tall, with long blond hair that reached up to his shoulders and wore a denim jacket with a white shirt underneath and black pants. I sensed something seriously wrong with him. He jumped down from the roof of the storage shed and walked towards them. I saw a quick flash of black as he jumped down and imagined a baby wearing a black hat that concealed his face other than his mouth floating beside him. Was I going insane? Dino and Squalo immediately ceased fighting and Dino glared at him.

"Silent Killer Faye Carmine." Dino said in a grim tone. "Why are you so interested in her?"

"Oh? So you know about me? Well, we were in the school before." the boy named Faye said in a thoughtful voice. I could never have believed that that angelic face could be a murderer. I took an anxious step forward.

"You look well, Bucking Bronco. What has brought you out here in Namimori? Is it because of the missing Vongola Decimo? I believe my half-cousin has a theory about that, ne, Sakura-chan?" Faye looked at me; a dangerous glint was perceptible in his eyes. I drew back a step and bumped into Basil. He stepped in front of me, his arm raised to stop me from coming any nearer to them. Faye smirked.

"I thought Squalo said you had a lot more guts than you looked. He must be mistaken." Faye said. I was unexpectedly angry. Unconsciously, I stepped away from Basil's protective stance in front of me and walked towards him until we were in speaking distance, all the while ignoring Dino's warning look to stay back.

"Half-cousin? Just who do you think you are? I have had enough of this nonsense. All day, I've been almost skinned alive, ambushed and I almost fell off a building! I don't think I even did _anything_ to provoke these recent events. What does it have to do with me? Why are you after me? I didn't do anything wrong! What the heck do you want? If you want me dead, then you'll just have to kill me. I didn't live this long just to be killed by some random stranger on the street because of a game of bloodlust." I blurted out. Everyone was silenced by my outburst. Even I was surprised that I dared speak like that. Being angry nowadays seemed to make do strange things.

I'd have to reconsider my impulsive actions one of the days. It just might get me killed.

Faye smirked. "Sorry, I was mistaken. You are what Squalo says you are. Well, if you're done talking. I have a surprise for you." He paused for minute and looked above him, past my shoulder, at a nearby tree. "It's your turn Belphegor. And this time, _don't_ go easy on her." He said to someone in the shadow of the trees. A blond boy with a small crown on his head wearing a black jacket and striped shirt jumped down from his perch on the tree and threw knives at me just as he did. I evaded them by taking a step back and they went past me but I was surprised to see my arm bleeding from shallow cuts just as the knives passed me. I looked closer and saw wires attached to the knives.

There were too many dangerous blond boys nowadays.

"By the way, Sakura-chan, I forgot to introduce myself and our company. My name is Faye Carmine, son of the elusive Carmine family boss, ally of the Vongola family. This is Superbi Squalo, Belphegor-who has the royal blood in him- and of course, Mammon, the great illusionist. All three are from Varia, recruited exclusively by me." Faye said as he pointed to each respectively. Belphegor paused in his attack. A baby wearing a black hat that covered his face appeared beside Faye and he was floating in mid-air. So I wasn't imagining that! He must be using some kind of illusion to stay hidden. I became more wary of my surroundings. Faye continued to speak.

"We are the team that the Ninth generation boss of Vongola sent to assess you if you are worthy of becoming a family member of the Vongola Decimo. Survival is of the utmost importance in our assessment. You cannot deny as this has already been decided. Usually they wouldn't have any need for this but circumstances are different. You only have two options in this: to live or to die. That is entirely based on your skill as a fighter to pass our test. This is not elective. This is being forced upon you and you have no say in this nor can you avoid it. This is inevitable and escape will not be tolerated. Now that I have sufficiently warned you, let the real assessment begin. " He said in a grim tone.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

This would mark the end of my care-free days as a simple student of Namimori.

I really regretted ever going to the rooftop that day, a few weeks ago.

* * *

So that's it for chapter three! Things are going to get more action packed as Sakura undergoes assessment of the Varia and her supposedly half-cousin, Faye. I know that Faye can be used as a girl's name too but I thought something foreign might entice readers. The future arc is just a few chapter away so please don't stop reading!

I'm sorry if this isn't really that nice, I have trouble writing the fight scenes I imagine in my head. Please tell me if my character is becoming a Mary Sue! Thank you for reading and I'm sorry if this is too long. I'll be back soon, I promise.

P.S. On a sad note, I flunked my Biology and I was unable to finish two problems in my Math finals which were supposed to be easy. Sigh. There's a big chance that I might get removed from our school's star-section now with my grades being unacceptable as it is. This doesn't really concern any of you lovely readers so please ignore this if you wish. This is just a random blurb from some sad, incapable writer experiencing the hardships of being a mediocre.

Cheers! Thank you so much for taking your time to comment and read my work! I really thank you from the bottom of my heart! Please leave a review. XD


	4. The Assessment: Part One

Thank you so very much for supporting my story! I'm really sorry this took longer to update. I've been drained and out of ideas lately for the succeeding chapters because the ideas that I've been thinking about are for the future arc. I'll try to end Sakura's training and assessment as quickly as possible so that'll be at least four chapters remaining before I enter the future arc. This chapter sucks, as a result, and I may have altered Hiabri's character a bit. I'm very sorry about that but please bear with me! I ask for your patience and your understanding! Thank you very much!

Also, I regret to inform you that since Sakura's chapter is a little longer than I expected, I will have to split it into two parts. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience! Please don't stop reading though my chapters are getting worse. I completely understand if you choose to give me criticisms and/or stop reading this altogether. Thank you for your patronage. Now for the personal messages:

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you so very much for your encouraging review! I'm really sorry if I sounded like a busybody when I replied to your comment. I'm really sorry! Thank you for bearing with me!**

**Omgpink: Thank you for the review! I'm sorry that this chapter will suck and will maybe make you lose your appetite for continuing to read this. Thank you anyhow!**

**x3iLoveAnime: Thank you so very much for continuing to review my story! I don't know what I'd do without you people who review my story! I give my eternal gratitude! **

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 4: The Assessment: Part One

If I had any doubts whether I would be able to live my life until I grew to a ripe old age, they ended right then and there.

Seeing them all with every intention to kill me paralyzed my logic, my brain and ability to respond immediately.

I had never felt such cold fear grip my heart.

"This should be fun." Belphegor said as he got ready to attack. Producing knives from his hands, he came after me and I was forced to either evade or parry them with my metal pole. Being half induced in fear, my mind would not cooperate with my body and I resulted into getting shallow cuts and scratches all over my arms. They stung and blood flowed out. I took care not to stain my uniform.

Being actually hurt for the first time numbed my courage and will to fight.

After a few minutes of fighting-or my evading, being more precise- Belphegor stopped suddenly. I was panting a bit from the exertion and I felt dazed from the fear welling in my head. I stumbled as I backed away from Belphegor and landed on my rear. Dino ran to me to help but Faye held up a restraining arm.

"If she is to be trained properly, no one must help her." He said in a grim tone. "She should learn to stand up by herself."

"You're taking her by surprise! She doesn't even know how to fight." Dino countered.

"Don't interfere, Cavallone. I know what I'm doing. She can't be always in the protection of someone else. Ignorance was once her shield. Now, she must learn to stand on her own feet. She is not to become weak." Faye replied harshly. Dino kept quiet and watched me, fear and worry etched on his face. Even Basil looked as if he wanted to help. Squalo kept a close eye on him.

I watched as Belphegor stood immobile. I racked my brain for any kind of plan to survive but I could think of none. Then, Belphegor got tired of waiting. Holding the knives in his hands like a fan, he threw them at me. My heart quickened its pace.

This time, I could not evade.

Fear had taken root in my being and I watched in silent acceptation as the knives flew at me.

They were deflected by a tonfa at the last minute, however.

"Che, you're such a weak herbivore. Get up. You look pathetic sitting down there." Hibari said as he stood beside me. I looked up and saw Hibari's cold steel cobalt blue eyes glaring at me. I sat on the ground, too surprised to respond.

"I said, stand up herbivore!" Hibari repeated. Quickly, I stood up and held the metal pole.

"So this is your assessment party?" he asked, looking at Faye. He knew about this too? I glared at him, a bit of anger started to sprout inside me.

He must have told me to clean the school yard so that they could corner me here, I realized.

That little bit of anger grew and I spoke.

"You knew about this? You told me to clean the yard so that they could corner me here?" I hissed at him. He looked at me, his surprise at my sudden change of expression well-concealed.

"So what of it, herbivore?" he asked. I opened my mouth to answer but closed it again. I faced Belphegor.

"If you want a fight so badly, then I am willing to give it to you now." I told him. Belphegor smirked.

"Ushishishishi… She's finally ready to play." Belphegor said and ran towards me. I did the same and saw Faye smile out of the corner of my eye.

"Well, well…Seems that she's finally found herself again." He murmured.

I dodged him just as we were about to meet and aimed a kick at his stomach. I wasn't too keen on using the metal pole to actually hurt anyone. He recoiled at the pain and I knew that my kick hadn't been the same as the first time I used on the Shokyouku thugs. I waited for him to stand up. He threw knives at me and spun the metal pole in my hands, cutting the wires that accompanied the knives. I had an idea that if I had just mindlessly parried the knives, the wires attached to them would eventually create a web around me that would paralyze my movements. Belphegor's smile wavered a bit when he realized what I was doing.

"Bel looks like he's about to be beaten." Mammon commented from the sidelines. Faye smirked.

"We'll see." He said.

"You won't escape this attack, girl." Belphegor said. He clapped his hands together once and when they parted, rows of knives appeared and they seemed to be floating in mid-air. Gesturing his hands, the sharp tip of the knives faced me suddenly and then with another few gestures, they all flew at me, intending to pierce me.

I remained unfazed and thought of a plan.

I had seen too many horrors that day that I had somehow become immune to them but only for that moment.

Of course, I rationalized, if I let myself be caught in the tangle of the web of wires, I'd have no chance of survival. I couldn't afford to lose my focus now just because one too many knives showed up.

I calmed myself by taking a deep breath and twirled the metal pole in my hand, parrying the knives while making sure I didn't stay at one place for too long. I vaguely wondered at the number of knives he hid in his body. I felt my leg get caught in the tangle of wires.

Stepping to my left, I caught the knives that were being aimed at me between my fingers. Using the knives, I cut the wires that bound my leg and I was free to move again. This time, I chose to be offensive.

Once I was able to move again, I ran towards him with the metal pole at my side. Usually, I wouldn't condone this act in myself but I had no choice. It was either hurt him or be killed.

I chose the first option.

When I was close enough, I bent low and jumped over him, landing behind him. Then, I hit him with my hand as hard as I could on his neck and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

I once read from a martial arts book that if I were to render a person unconscious, I was supposed to hit him at a portion of his neck as hard as I could or just apply pressure there. I silently thanked my lucky stars that I had read that book. Faye clapped his hands and Squalo picked up Belphegor's unconscious form, swinging him over his shoulder. He glared at me.

"Not bad, Sakura-chan! I guess you can go home for today. Get ready for the next trial tomorrow. Bandage your arms too. Your parents will wonder why you have so many cuts on your arm. Anyway, you passed for today. Ciao!" he said and walked away with Squalo carrying Belhpegor's unconscious form on his shoulder while Mammon floated on ahead. I released a sigh of relief and glanced down at my arms. Fear began creeping back.

How was I going to explain this mess to my parents?

"I'll need cotton, a disinfectant, rolls of bandage and maybe earplugs." I murmured to myself as I surveyed the damage. Luckily, my school uniform remained intact though it was a bit dirty. I sighed and winced when I moved my arm. These cuts would take a long time to heal.

"That was impressive, Hitako-san!" Basil said as he approached him. I glared at him. I still hadn't gotten the ire out of my system. He backed away.

"Okay. Is anyone going to tell me what the heck is going on?" I asked, eying each of them with a glare. "Yesterday, I was scared that I would fail my Math test. Today, I'm trying to defend my life! What kind of game are you guys playing at? I don't even know them and then they come here to kill me? What kind of whacked-up secret is the world hiding from me and why am I involved?"

I was beyond angry, I was livid.

I was angry at the fact that I knew nothing about what was happening. I hated being clueless and not knowing anything. I hated being weak. I hated being insulted. And yet these people come here and say nonsensical things like the Ninth, Vongola Decimo, the Vongola family and the Carmine family. What did I have to do those things? I didn't understand. It was driving me crazy!

"Get yourself bandaged, herbivore. Cavallone will tell you later." Hibari said. I nodded stiffly. "Follow me." He added. He started to walk towards the school and I followed silently. Basil, Dino and his companion followed behind.

The world of Mafia opened to me then and there.

I didn't realize my life was about to change from that point onwards.

* * *

"So you're telling me that the Vongola is a Mafia family- one of the most powerful- in Italy? And that you're the tenth generation boss of the Cavallone family, an ally of the Vongola and that Faye is the tenth generation boss of the Carmine family which is an ally of the Vongola family too?" I asked. Dino nodded.

We were currently in the Reception Room (big surprise Hibari let us use it) and I was being treated for my wounds. I was speechless by the next few minutes as Dino related Tsuna's adventures upon being chosen as the tenth generation boss of the Vongola family, possibly the most powerful Mafia family in the world. An even more surprising event was the fact that Hibari was the one dressing my wounds, saying that it wouldn't be healthy for me to go see the school doctor who was a sleazy doctor and only treated ladies such as me.

It would have shown a nicer side of Hibari if he hadn't poured alcohol all over my arm and threatened to bite me to death if I dared scream, twitch, complain or blow on the stinging pain. Yes, even when trying to be nice, he still finds a way to be sadistic and cruel. I had to bite my lip and stay very still while he put ointment on my wounds.

"And Tsunayoshi is the tenth generation boss?" I asked. Dino nodded again. "So what am I? Why am I involved in this?"

"We're not sure. The Ninth never said anything to me or the External Advisory Team." Dino replied. I nodded. I winced when Hibari had pulled the bandage on my arm too tightly.

"Ano, Hibari-san, I think I should bandage myself. You're going to cut off my blood circulation as it is…" I murmured. He glared at me but decreased the pressure. I sighed in relief.

"Hitako-san, art thou fine?" Basil asked. I nodded and gave him a smile of reassurance.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for everything! Now I'll just have to think of a workable excuse for my parents." I replied. "Maybe I'll tell them that I fell on broken glass on my way home."

I flexed my arm as I stood up and winced at the pain. I bowed deeply as I thanked Hibari, Dino and Basil.

"Thank you very much for helping me! I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I promise to make it up to you guys." I said. Basil and Dino smiled and Dino ruffled my hair. Hibari blinked at me but otherwise said nothing.

I was about to leave the room when Hibari called me.

"Herbivore." He said. I turned back; sure he was addressing me, and was thrown a black jacket with the words with a red band pinned to the sleeve that said 'prefect'. I caught it easily and gave him a questioning look.

"Wear that until you get home to hide your arms." He said. I nodded slowly and slipped it on. Dino chuckled.

"Wow, Hibari! You do care." He said, grinning.

Hibari glared at him and drew out his tonfa. I escaped the room before I heard the sound of Dino's whip meeting Hibari's tonfa.

* * *

I arrived home without much event.

Most of the people I met on the street and saw me wearing the black jacket just ran away like they were being chased by hell hounds. I stifled my laugh. I didn't know Hibari had _that_ much influence over the town that his mere jacket would be an enough cause for panic. I reached home faster than I had expected.

My parents looked at me questioningly when I got home. They were used to seeing me home earlier than they were, innocently doing my assignments in my room. They were even more surprised to see me wearing a jacket with a red band and the words 'prefect' embossed on it attached to the sleeve. My mom was the first to ask questions.

"Sakura-chan, did you join your school's Disciplinary Committee? I don't remember you mentioning that to me." She asked worriedly. I gave her a smile of reassurance.

"Iie, oka-san. I just borrowed this from my friend who was a member of the Disciplinary Committee. I'm sorry I'm late. I met trouble on the way and he gave me his jacket to hopefully scare them." I lied; I was fiddling my thumbs behind my back, hoping that they wouldn't be suspicious enough to ask again. "It worked like a charm!" I added. They nodded doubtfully but did not ask again.

"The Irie family is here to have dinner with us." My father told me as I climbed up the steps to my room. I nodded and proceeded to get changed. I would have to wear long-sleeved shirts for a week or two.

When I entered my room, I saw the familiar red head of Irie Shouichi, sitting on my desk in front of the computer. I smiled when I saw him. Quietly, I tiptoed over to him and covered his eyes. I didn't expect the reaction he would give me.

"AAAAHHHH! GET OFF ME!" he screamed shrilly. Quickly, I uncovered his eyes and stepped back and looked at him worriedly. He fell off the seat and was on the floor, with a terrified look on his face. He almost seemed near to tears. I walked over to him slowly and carefully, making sure not to startle him.

"What's wrong Shouichi? I'm sorry I startled you. You weren't this jumpy before…" I asked as I stretched out a hand to help him stand up. He seemed to have regained his composure when he noticed that it wasn't some assassin from his dream and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and accepted my hand. I pulled him up with ease and he laughed nervously.

"I-ie… It's okay. Sorry I scared you." He said, scratching his head.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked him as he settled back into my chair and I on my bed. I refused to take off the jacket because he would worry and might probably tell once he saw the bandages covering my arms.

"Oh… Well, your parents have something to talk about with my parents so they invited us to dinner. Sorry about using your computer. I remembered you saying you wanted to upgrade a few things so I took the liberty of doing it." He said. I grinned at him.

"Really? Thanks! And it's no problem. We are friends, aren't we?" I replied. Shoucihi relaxed a little and smiled. Then he left the room to let me change before we ate dinner.

Shouichi's dad and my dad were classmates and friends way back in high school so we knew each other well enough. It was a tradition for our families to spend vacations together so even if our houses weren't near each other and even if we did study in different schools, we always had a chance to meet and catch up on each other.

I wore a long-sleeved shirt and carefully folded Hibari's jacket on my table to wash later and went to dinner.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about, Narumi?" Shouichi's dad addressed mine as we ate dinner in silence.

"I was wondering if I could ask a favor from Shouichi. My wife and I would be having a business trip in Okinawa and we're not sure when we'll be back. Probably it would last a month at least. We have some business deals to close there and we were wondering if your son could keep an eye out for Sakura for us. If that's not too much to ask, of course." My father said. I kept quiet. I knew about their upcoming trip to Okinawa but I didn't know that they were still worried about me going to school and getting into some kind of impossible scrape.

Parents. They will always be paranoid though they didn't know how close to the truth they were.

Shouichi choked on his food. "E-eh? Me?" he asked. My father nodded.

"Since Sakura cannot be supervised by her grandmother in school, we thought it best for Shouichi to look out for her. I hope it's all right. Both of you are friends after all." He replied. Shouichi swallowed and then nodded.

"A-all right, sir. I'll do my best." He said. I stifled a laugh.

Shouichi guarding me was a joke.

When we were young and when we used to go to the park together, _I _would defend him from his bullies so that they didn't have to move and I didn't have to lose my best friend. Shouici glared at me.

Dinner was finished without much even and the Irie family went home. My mom did give me a curious stare once, when she noticed my long sleeves but chose to say nothing. They were tolerant parents, as far as they were concerned, but they had sharp senses too. Almost like a sixth sense, especially my mom. Maybe I inherited that sixth sense from her.

After washing and drying Hibari's jacket, I finished my assignments and went to bed.

I had a nightmare of Belphegor chasing me down with knives in his hand and I woke up half an hour before my alarm actually rang. I groggily got up and prepared for school.

* * *

On my way, I dimly remembered something horrible about yesterday's fight. It was something about what Faye had said…

"_Not bad, Sakura-chan! I guess you can go home for today. Get ready for the next trial tomorrow. Bandage your arms too. Your parents will wonder why you have so many cuts on your arm. Anyway, you passed for today. Ciao!" _

Get ready for the next trial tomorrow…

Tomorrow was today. That meant…

I was in for some major butt-kicking today.

I almost went back running home before I remembered that escape was useless. I could already feel hidden eyes watching my every movement. I took a nervous look back.

Hopefully, I would survive the rest of the school day without much event. Speaking of surviving, I looked down to what I was carrying.

Hibari's jacket lay in my arms, folded, freshly washed and ironed. I thought of giving it to him before classes started to avoid the eyes of speculation so I proceeded to the Reception Room once I reached school.

I saw Hibari sitting quietly on the sofa of the Reception Room, reading a book when I knocked on the door and opened it softly. He raised his head to meet my gaze and I immediately bowed.

"Ohayo, Hibari-san! Thank you for lending me your jacket." I said as I bowed. I walked in and placed the jacket on the couch beside him, bowed once again and said a "Sorry for intruding!" and was about to leave when he called me-or rather what he calls everyone else.

"Herbivore." He said and I turned around nervously. "Why are you early today?" he asked. I blinked. Why was he so interested?

"Um, I almost couldn't sleep last night and this is usually the time when I wake up." I answered. He looked at me for a few minutes before looking back at his book. I took that as a sign that I should leave.

The day rolled by as usual and I was relieved to get at least a passing but very low grade in my previous Math test. Well, that was to be expected. Like I said before, I did excel in my studies but that didn't mean I always got a perfect score for Math. That was my sour point on the whole but I made the most of what I had. Anyway, I did notice a few of my classmates look at my arms-even my teachers did- and asked what happened. I gave them my excuse that I fell on broken glass yesterday and they left me alone.

My last period for that day was Physical Education. An hour of grueling physical activities was enlisted in our teacher's head and I was happy enough to face them for that day-Tsuna being absent gave us more chances of winning because there was always the fear that he'd get assigned to our group- until Hibari decided to pull me out of class.

We were already in the gym, doing warm-ups for five minutes when Hibari suddenly entered. All conversations stopped right then and there and even our teacher had a scared look on his face. He walked towards Hibari while the rest of us shrank away in fear. I stood by and watched with interest.

"I would like to excuse Hitako Sakura from your class today." Hibari said to him. Whispers started to spread as my name was clearly heard. I raised an eyebrow. What was he up to now?

"H-Hitako!" out teacher called me. I jogged over to them innocently. "G-go with Hibari-san." He said. I could see him sweating now. Was he really that nervous?

"But sensei, I will miss your class for today." I reasoned. Hibari gave me a look and nodded to the teacher.

"You're excused for today, Hitako. Just go with Hibari and make sure you attend your soccer practice tomorrow." He said. I nodded and grabbed my things before following Hibari out of the gym. I was aware of the whole class silently following me with their eyes.

I followed Hiabri up to the rooftop and I was already taking deep breaths, trying to make myself ready for the next trial. Who would I face? I knew that the floating infant Mammon was an illusionist. How was I supposed to beat illusions? Maybe I could concentrate on reality.

That was easier said than done.

Would I have to rely on intuition then? That wasn't very safe. Though my intuition was often right, it could still be wrong. I just hoped this isn't one of my 'bad days' where I mess up in everything I do. I sighed. Suddenly, this didn't seem at all like a good day for me.

When we arrived at the rooftop, Basil, Dino and Romario (I learned his name yesterday) were already there though there was no sign of Faye or any of the Varia. I let out a sigh of relief.

That was until I learned the reason for my being there.

"Oh, hello Dino-san, Basil-san, Romario-san! What brings you guys here?" I asked with a smile.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! We wanted to train you before your next trial today." Dino said. I could detect some uncertainty in his voice.

"Train me? In a short amount of time?" I asked in surprise. He nodded gravely. "Kyouya will start followed by me and then Basil. Each of us will get twenty minutes." He added. I saw Hibari with tonfas out already and I shuddered. Dino tossed me a retractable metal rod. I caught it in my hand and examined it. It was sturdy.

"That'll be your weapon for now until we find something more suitable." He said. "Begin." And he clicked a button on his timer.

I was so dead.

Hibari charged at me and I did a handspring, flipping onto my hands and with my feet following and landed behind him. I tried to hit his back but he turned around and blocked my attack with his tonfa. He smirked.

"You have to be more creative than that, herbivore." He said and proceeded to strike me. I dodged his attacks, moving backward as I did so until I slammed my metal rod into his tonfa. He pushed his tonfa towards me so that he could hit me but I was putting up a fight. We finally jumped away from each other and started a whole new round.

He was quick and agile. I couldn't get a chance to attack! All I did was defend and parry as I couldn't see an opening.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! Attack! Think about soccer." Dino said.

Soccer… Of course! If I thought of this as soccer, then things would me much simpler. I took a stance, and imagined Hibari as one of the Shokyouku thugs. We charged again at each other.

Just as we were about to meet, I feinted to my left and when he fell for it, I ducked and swung my leg out to kick him. He jumped and evaded my attack but I was able to slam my metal rod into his stomach.

I finally got a lucky hit.

Too bad it wasn't enough to bring him down. In fact, it didn't even bruise him.

He merely touched his stomach as if nothing had hit him and said, "Good job, herbivore. You're going to need more than luck though." before he charged again. I earned a bruise on my arm for that attack, adding to the scratches I received yesterday . I guess he was just surprised by my sudden show of aggressiveness.

We continued like on like that for the whole hour, eating up the time Dino and Basil were supposed to use to train me. He even snapped at Dino when he had pointed that his twenty minutes were up.

"Ah, Kyouya, I don't want to break your fun but your twenty minutes are up." Dino said nervously. Hibari aimed his tonfa at him and Dino held it back with his whip.

"I don't care, herbivore. Who said I was going to agree to your rules? I'll bite you to death if you interfere." He warned and we continued fighting. I was beat by the time the one hour was up and I sat on the ground, panting and covered with new bruises. Though only slightly noticeable, Hibari was panting a bit too. I smirked at him.

"I didn't go down that easy, did I, Hibari-san?" I asked. He simply looked at me and said nothing. He approached me slowly, his tonfa still at his side and when he was near enough, and he swung his tonfa at me. I jumped up and evaded it just in time. I saw him smirk slightly before he proceeded to the door and left.

'That was… odd." I muttered to myself.

I was dusting myself off when I heard the door of the rooftop open once again. I looked up into the eyes of Faye who had a deadly smirk on his face.

"Time for round two, cousin." He said.

I stood up straight and took out my retractable staff, holding it to my side. I wore a nonchalant expression on my face.

I was ready for whatever he had in store for me this time.

* * *

Thank you so very much if you've already reached the end of this chapter! I know that this chapter was very long and not as good as you expected it to be. I'm really sorry! Please leave a review though. Criticisms are appreciated.

Also, I was thinking of changing the rating to T. I wanted to ask you readers first on what you would prefer: the current rating or if it's okay for me to change it to 'T'. I know I sound really lame but I want to put a bit of romance between Sakura and Hibari, if that's all right with you.

So enough of my incessant blabbing! Thank you very much for having patiently read through this chapter. I'm really sorry if this didn't meet your expectations! I was having a major writer's block and a case of the lazy-butt syndrome so I took this long to update. Please leave a review!

P.S. Ignore this, it's perfectly fine with me.

On a sad note, I didn't get a line of seven in my card but I was removed from the star-section because of my inability to keep up with their standards. Oh well, I knew it would happen, sooner or later. I could probably meet more people this way, being transferred to a regular class but I will miss getting advanced lessons. It kind makes me feel that I have an edge compared to other students. I just felt that I needed to get this off my chest. Thank you if you have read up to this point!


	5. The Assessment: Part Two

Hey there, everyone! Thank you for reading the fifth chapter of my story. I'm not going to make this any longer as I have nothing to say. I just want to thank the kind people who read and review my work. Thank you so very much! I honestly thought my chapters were getting worse but you guys proved me otherwise. Thank you so very much! This chapter may change it all, however. It sucks. Hibari is a bit out of character so I hope you'll forgive me.

And as I've said before, I've changed the rating to T. I hope you guys don't mind. XD

Now for the personal messages:

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you very much for your encouraging review! I promise to put in more romance between the Hibari and Sakura.**

**XxSunbunxX: Thanks very much for the comment! I hope this chapter meets your expectations. **

**Omgpink: Thanks very much! And Byakuran will be back in the next chapter or so. He will be back, I promise! **

**Thank you so very much for all your reviews! I really don't know what I'd do without them.**

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 5: The Assessment: Part Two

Darkness.

I was surrounded in darkness.

I could hear nothing, see nothing, and feel nothing.

What scared me most was the thought that if I couldn't use my sense organs, I would be helpless against any attacks that were directed to me. The power of Mammon's illusions was certainly something. I was rendered useless in its wake.

_Snap out of it! This is just an illusion. Trickery! A mist. Don't be fooled! Focus! _I told myself. I stood still and immobile thinking that if I focused, I could somehow bring myself to contradict Mammon's illusion.

Fat chance.

I looked down at my arms and saw blood trickling out for a moment before my vision reverted back to black. I paled- if that were possible in the darkness I was currently experiencing.

More red slashes appeared on both my arms before they disappeared, adding to my bruises a while ago and yesterday. My hands started to shake.

I couldn't feel the pain.

_Focus! Think of something else than the fear you're feeling now. Think of… think of… _I racked my brain for something to distract me against the fear but I couldn't think of anything. I heard something then. It was a distant voice and I strained my ears to hear.

"Poor girl. She'll just get herself killed if she can't survive my illusion. Maybe the Ninth was wrong in choosing her after all." It said.

_Mammon_, I thought, clenching my teeth and my fists, enclosing my grip tightly on my metal staff- if it was still there. I thought back to before I experienced this strange sensory deprivation…

_Faye had come sooner than I thought with his partners in tow._

_Belphegor was wearing his usual grin and Squalo greeted us with his usual "Voiii!!!" while Mammon just floated in the air, seemingly harmless, except for the dangerous smirk that adorned his face. _

"_Well, well, it seems that you're punctual today, Sakura-chan!" Faye commented when he already saw me on the rooftop._

"_I always am." I had replied. He simply smiled at me._

"_It's Mammon's turn today." He said. I nodded and took my stance, making sure that there was just enough distance between us. _

"_Ushishishishi… She doesn't know what she's up against. Mammon's illusion won't be so easy to dispel." Belphegor chuckled. Faye smirked._

"_We'll see. For this trial, all you have to do is to dispel Mammon's illusions and land a hit on him. You may now begin." Faye said. I held my staff tightly in my hands. _

"_Fine by me. You'll be getting a large fee for this though, Faye." Mammon had said before everything went black._

I cursed silently. What could I do? I was helpless. I was stuck in this endless void of darkness. I felt like crying.

I needed to empty my mind but fear had already taken root. If only I had music or anything to distract myself, I could somehow break out of this prison of darkness and whip Mammon's behind for daring to try to kill me. I sighed in frustration.

I hated being a sitting duck when my own neck was in danger.

Again, I heard distant soft voices barely above a whisper that I strained to hear.

"Yare, yare, Mammon-san. You really shouldn't play with her like that. She's already covered in bruises."

"I don't care, Faye. You paid me to assess her and I'm doing it."

"Ushishishishi… Should I throw more knives at her, Mammon? She isn't even flinching! Maybe I should aim for her face now. Her arms are already covered in wounds."

"Voiii! I told you she was too weak to break Mammon's illusions. We should kill her now!"

"Yamero! Thou hast already injured thee far enough."

"Faye! You've got to stop this. She hasn't been properly trained and no one has told her about illusions yet."

"She'll learn. Experience is the best teacher after all."

I wanted to say something in retort but I thought best not to in case I provoked something. All was silent as I waited for his next attack- or at least for me, it was. I lost my capability to hear again and it frustrated me. Near to the point of anger. It was like a badly-tuned radio. Sometimes I could get good reception and sometimes I could not. I had a sudden urge to lash out randomly, hoping to get lucky and be able to hit Mammon if only I could feel my legs.

I heard the soft strains of music suddenly after a moment.

_Midori tanabiku namimori no  
Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii  
Itsumo kawaranu  
Sukoyaka kenage  
Aah, tomo ni utaou  
Namimori chuu…_

The voice was soft and adorable. It almost sounded like a bird was singing it…

Hibari's canary! I suddenly remembered. That only meant Hibari was nearby. I found myself unconsciously listening closely for the sound of his deep baritone voice. The music was starting to fade again and I tried to desperately hold on to it.

_Hibari, Hibari, Hibari! _I chanted in my mind subconsciously. Then I heard it and I oddly found some sort of comfort in hearing his voice. As if his presence was enough to solve my current problem, I felt myself calm down a little.

_Now why was that?_ I wondered at the back of my mind but I was too busy trying to listen to what he had to say.

"Hn… You herbivores will be bitten to death for crowding and trespassing school grounds." I heard him say. His voice this time resonated in my darkness unlike the others and I vaguely wondered why. I didn't have time to think as my vision was slowly returning. Again, it was like dealing with a badly tuned radio- or watching a bunch of people in TV with bad reception. Well, at least it was a start. I had to think of a battle strategy now before anyone realizes I can see again!

I felt Hibari's presence standing near me though I couldn't see his face. I wish I could. He'd get a kick out of my whole defenseless situation.

"K-Kyouya! What are you doing? She's under Mammon's illusion. She can't fight back!" I heard Dino's voice distinctly say. Fight back? That meant Hibari was going to attack me! I could almost see Hibari smirk.

"Oi, herbivore. If you're not going to move, I'll bite you to death." He said.

"Hibari-san! Hitako-san canst evade thy attack! Thou shall hurt thee." I heard Basil say in an anxious voice. This time, I heard his voice as loud and as clear as day.

_My hearing is back!_ I thought with relief and joy.

My success was short-lived however for when the darkness was finally lifted from my sense organs, the first thing I saw was Hiabri's tonfa swinging at me. I couldn't evade nor did I try to and I got hit in my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I clenched my fist too keep from screaming out in pain and flinching which wasn't very hard to do as I was already used to his attacks. I had to make them believe that I was still defenseless to take them by surprise. Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice yet.

Pain spread through my body that didn't vanish. I didn't any other proof that my senses were indeed back and under control.

I was sent sprawling across the ground and saw Hibari frown a bit. He didn't bother to launch another attack when he saw that I wasn't about to get up anytime soon.

"Che, weak herbivore. You're as pathetic as ever." He said. He proceeded to walk away, his jacket sleeves flapping out behind him, as Mammon floated towards me.

"Time to finish this." He said. A pillar of fire suddenly shot out from the ground and I focused on Hibari's retreating back.

_Illusion, illusion, illusion..._ I repeated to myself. The pillar of fire disappeared and collective surprised expressions were heard.

"Voiiii! She's supposed to be frying now! What's happened Mammon?" Squalo asked.

"A-amazing… is she still alive?" Dino asked with uncertainty.

I sat up and smirked at them.

"No. I was resurrected from hell." I answered. They stared at me. Hibari's hand was just about to turn the door knob when he heard me speak and stopped. Turning around, he leaned against the wall, a short distance from Romario and folded his arms over his chest, a smirk on his lips. I grabbed my metal staff beside me charged at Mammon.

Using the metal staff as a thrust, I held onto to it as and jumped over Mammon's head and swung it at him when I landed. He evaded.

He snapped his fingers and suddenly, there were dozens of floating Mammons all over the rooftop. I closed my eyes for a second to get my bearings.

"Illusions." I said as I swung at the real Mammon hiding behind Dino.

I finally got a hit.

Mammon cringed a bit but suddenly, Belphegor was attacking me. Running towards me, he threw his knives at me but when I tried to move, I saw wires surrounding me.

I was trapped and immobile.

If I tried to move, I'd cut myself through the wires but the knives were coming at me fast.

"Illusions." I muttered again just before the knives grazed my skin- a centimeter away from my face. The wires and the knives disappeared and I was free to move again.

Swinging my metal staff as I spun around I hit Mammon again and was about to strike him a third time when Faye touched my shoulder.

"Good work, Sakura-chan! Since I said only one hit, you pass. You can rest now." He said, smiling. He looked very much like a blond Adonis when he did. An evil blond Adonis, that it.

"I guess it'll be Squalo tomorrow?" I asked nonchalantly. Putting a thoughtful finger on his chin, he pretended to think.

"Hmm… Well, Squalo already did attack you when I specifically told him to wait yesterday so no, I don't think so. This Saturday will be the judgment day. Come to the cliff where the Vongola Decimo trained. We're going to judge you there." He said.

"Aren't you going to explain the purpose of this so-called killer assessment?" I asked.

"That'll be on Saturday too. I can't just tell you. What if we decide against it? We have a code of silence called _omerta_. It won't be much fun if you know about it." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Why don't you decide now? It's clear that I've passed all your ridiculous life-and-death assessments."

"Well, first, you hesitate. In the real world, a bit of hesitation may lead to your ultimate doom. Hiabri had to be there every time to save you so that you can function on your own. You're not exactly efficient, you know. Second, you're too soft. This assessment isn't the only thing I'm going to base my decision from. I've been watching you from afar and collecting data and as far as I can tell, you don't have any intent to kill, you can't hurt anyone seriously and you have a conscience."

"I can too!" I retorted. He laughed.

"Well, I gotta go now! See you, Sakura-chan!" he said with a wave and left the rooftop, followed by the Varia. I sighed in relief when they were well out of earshot and slumped to the floor.

He was right.

I was inefficient in fighting whenever Hibari wasn't there. But that wasn't fair! I had only started now! What could I do? I didn't even have anyone to train me. I was deep in my thoughts that I didn't notice Hiabri's tonfa near my throat. I looked up at him.

"Come with me, herbivore." He ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

He looked down at my wounds and he didn't need to say more. I got up and followed him to the Reception Room. I really thought Hibari had gotten soft with me after all the time we spent together.

That was until he poured alcohol all over my wounds again and applied a salve that stung like hell. The same conditions as before applied too.

Sometimes, I really wonder if he has a multiple personality disorder.

* * *

"Awesome job, Sakura-chan! Your drive must be stronger this time. You were really serious today!" Sasuke commented as we left the soccer field that morning. I nodded absent-mindedly.

We didn't have any afternoon practice session which was good for a lot of reasons yet I found myself wishing for something to do that included the words 'wild' and 'reckless' to get my mind off a few things. Although it shouldn't have mattered, I found my anxiety rising.

I was nervous.

Faye's judgment might as well mean nothing to me but I was not one to accept defeat lightly no matter what the circumstance. Even though it _shouldn't_ be bothering me whether I'd get picked for whatever whacked up crazy plan he has for me, I was still oddly curious.

What did I have to do with the Mafia?

It never occurred to me then that what I may be sticking my nose into may cause my untimely death but that was the least of my worries. I had faced what I thought was death so many times that there really wasn't a point in making a big thing out of it. People died all the time. I guess the true meaning of the assessment was to test if I did have the guts and the will to survive in the direst of situations- an ability a true hit man possesses.

Not that I will be one for that matter.

I still wondered why I was chosen. Was it just fate? Luck? Skill? My own streak of recklessness attracting attention? I almost laughed aloud at the last thought. I was known for being reckless at most times-especially during soccer- which was why it took an incredible amount of self-control and abstinence from the craving of excitement to make myself act normal. Years of practice and injuries had ingrained in my brain the fact that being reckless usually caused me some major damage, impossible scrapes that I almost could never get out of.

That was why my dad had asked Shouichi to keep an eye on me in the first place. School wasn't dangerous. _I_ was. Though I had matured enough to learn the art of patience and good thinking, they still worried that I might get in trouble. As mature as I had grown over the past years, I still had that streak of recklessness so in order for me to satiate my hunger for excitement, I joined soccer.

My coach just thought I was some badass player who thought I wanted to prove that my gender was no obstacle to being a star player. I had wanted to contradict him but I let him live his dreams. As long as we had that unbroken winning streak, it didn't matter.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I noticed that Sasuke had stopped walking beside me. I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings so I was surprised to find Hibari and his subordinate Kusakabe Tetsuya standing in front of me just as we left the school gate.

On normal circumstances, I would have blanched out in nervousness. But since Hibari had become a somewhat normal albeit terrifying figure in my life recently, I wasn't. Besides, I felt too sentimental and caught up in my own daydreaming that I wasn't able to quickly register the red flags of warning flashing in the back of my mind.

"Oh, hi, Hibari-san! Kusasakabe-san!" I said surprised. "What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling around the city?" I added.

"We were watching the soccer team practice. We heard that a few of the other schools have tried to ambush your team recently since the district tournaments are coming up so we wanted to ensure your safety. There has also been a report on someone thrashing the storage room of the soccer team." Kusakabe promptly replied. I nodded.

So it was all business.

I kind of expected Hibari to use that as a cover-up for wanting to watch me practice soccer but that was just wishful thinking. I sort of wished he just had a tiny bit of interest in watching me play. Maybe then he'd change his opinion of me being a herbivore. I sighed mentally.

"Okay. Good luck and thanks for all your trouble. I'm sorry we had to make things harder for you guys." I said with a bow and with a wave. I was about to walk past them and Sasuke followed when Hibari held me back, calling me by the nickname he gave everyone else.

"Herbivore." He said. I looked back at him. "We need to talk." He added. I nodded. I told Sasuke to go on ahead and he did, despite his worry.

'What's up, Hibari-sempai?" I asked. I rarely used that reference to him anymore as he didn't look the type to be called sempai.

"You're supposed to meet up with the Cavallone herbivore in a few minutes at your house. He has something to tell you." He said and then left, followed by Kusakabe. I frowned.

He wanted to meet me?

And why was Hibari being the messenger?

I considered shouting a thanks after him-after all, I'm pretty sure he was forced to do this with the speed that he left and his nature- but he was already too far away. Shrugging, I ran home.

* * *

"I have to what?" I exclaimed when I heard what Dino's reason for visiting my home was.

"You have to climb the cliff on Death Mountain as the final test." Dino repeated calmly. I stared at him.

"Climb the cliff? What for? Am I going to be hit be rolling rocks as I climb? Is this to test my endurance? Are there any obstacles- like say, knives being thrown at me?" I asked sarcastically. Knowing Faye in the short span of time that I've met him, he was probably capable of doing those things without any regrets.

"No, he didn't say any specifics. He said to just be there before the sun sets. You have this afternoon to climb the cliff if you want to hear his judgment. I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan. We can't help you. And we have to go now to give you some time to prepare. 'Bye, Sakura-chan! Good luck! I know you can do it!" Dino said and then left with a polite goodbye to my grandmother. I sighed.

What now?

Dino had been talking with my grandmother, eating her snacks when I had arrived. My parents had already left for Okinawa yesterday so there were no prying eyes to make me feel uncomfortable about Dino's visit. He had gotten straight to the point as he said that I couldn't waste any time to prepare. I sighed.

There was only one thing I could do.

Climbing up the stairs to my room and stuffing my backpack-one that was meant for outdoor activities- with various necessities like two bottles of water, a long sturdy rope, my cell phone with full battery life, a first aid kit and the like, I had to think of something suitable to wear. Obviously, my soccer cleats would be the most logical pair of shoes to wear on a mountain hike and jeans would be too. A tee-shirt would be a good choice also. A jacket may come in handy too, I thought as I tied one around my waist. I wore my shoulder-length brown hair in a bun and put on a pair of leather gloves that were just my size.

I really wish I had a grappling hook.

I bade my grandmother goodbye who didn't in the slightest question the bandages that wrapped my arms. I told her that I'd be training in the mountains and wouldn't be back before nightfall. She just nodded.

Too bad my parents weren't this oblivious to my recent adventures. I shook my head as I made my way to the mountain Dino suspiciously called the 'Death Mountain.'

* * *

"Hm… That high, huh?" I muttered to myself as I surveyed the cliff that I was about to climb. I looked at my watch.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

I would make it in about five o'clock at the top at most. Stretching my arms, I proceeded to take my first step when I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me. I quickly looked back, bending my knees, and took out the metal staff that Dino gave me which I kept strapped to my belt and let it expand to the height of six feet. I kept my eyes intently on the silhouette I saw from the bushes.

Hibari came out- an unexpected surprise from the bushes- and approached me, his tonfas at his side.

"Yo, herbivore." He said with a smirk. I lowered my staff for a bit and then raised them again. Seeing Hibari here wasn't a good omen.

"What do you want?" I asked him, my eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The herbivore said to beat you up and stop you from reaching the deadline." He said, raising his tonfas.

"And you agreed?" I asked incredulously. Knowing Hibari, he wouldn't answer to _anybody_ unless he found something he liked about the task.

"I'm not doing this to follow him. I'm doing this so that I can bite you to death. He just told me your location. Now. Get ready to die." He said as he charged at me. I bent my legs and charged at him too.

I deflected his attacks the same way he deflected mine but I was running out of time. The top of the cliff was a long ways away and I couldn't waste any more time fighting him nor could I afford any injuries.

Climbing the huge expanse of rock was one thing but defending me while I climbed was another.

I backed away as his hits got nearer until I hit the rock wall. I cursed. He had me cornered. He ran at me, intending to swing at me full force and I did the same. When we were about to meet, I prepared to jump over him.

"That won't work on me herbivore." He said when he realized what I was about to do. I smirked. He bent down to avoid my attack but I jumped anyway and did a somersault in the air. I landed on his shoulders, my hands as support while my feet hung in the air. I silently thanked my lucky stars again that I had learned gymnastics when I was young- one of the ways my parents used to diffuse the time bomb of recklessness in me.

He looked up, a bit of surprise evident on his face when he saw mine so very his and I did a handspring, pushing his shoulders down as I jumped backward. I was about to hit the rock wall when I used the metal staff to stop the impact, letting it dig into the rock, using the momentum I gained from the jump. I hung precariously from it.

I hoisted myself up and started to climb the cliff. I had safely stowed the metal staff back in my belt as I did. Hibari was now too far down to reach me.

"See you, Hibari-san!" I said with a mock salute as I continued to climb up.

The tale of my epic journey climbing the cliff was too long to relate and too boring so I won't put it in here anymore. It was particularly safe enough, save for the rolling rocks (So I was right about that part!) that almost crushed me, which I had to smash into smithereens with my metal staff using only one hand (Who knew fear and adrenaline gave you so much strength in moments of panic?) and a few knives that tried to pierce me from the side. Aside from that, nothing else life threatening came my way- except for the climb itself.

With all the distractions and the stops I had to make to defend myself, I just barely managed to reach the top in time. I had only hoisted myself up just as the sun had set and I was panting and dead tired.

For a few seconds, I lay there on the sedge of the cliff, feeling the last rays of the sun warm me, my hand on my stomach, trying to get my breathing under control. I opened my eyes when I saw Faye's shadow looming over me.

"Hey, cousin! Glad you're still alive." He said mockingly, stretching his hand out, palm open to help me up. I reluctantly took it and he pulled me up. He appraised me silently.

"You look torn up." he commented casually. I glared at him. Aside from the scratches on my legs, the smudges of dirt on my face and a lock of hair that escaped the bun, I was alright albeit _very, very _tired. I looked over his shoulder and saw the rest of the Varia, Dino, Romario, Basil and –surprisingly, Hibari, standing behind him. Dino was smiling broadly and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Well, I have nothing else to say. Obviously, you passed the assessment. You are still, undoubtedly, a newbie at this but a bit of practice should do the trick. Congratulations, Sakura-chan!" Faye said, shaking my hand.

"And the explanation you promised?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. He laughed.

"Tomorrow. Be here early tomorrow." He replied, and then he turned serious. "This is where your training begins." He added grimly.

I paled.

_Would I survive tomorrow?_ I wondered.

* * *

I'm really sorry it took me this long to update and I'm really sorry for turning Hibari OOC! I hope you still find this likeable. Please leave review! Thank you for reading my fifth chapter! You guys are the best!


	6. Mountain Training Knowledge

I love you guys so much! Thanks for all those awesome reviews and for reading my story! I hope again that this chapter meets your expectations. Or it may suck, depending on your opinion. Either way, please read and review!

Now on with the personal messages:

**IDetestHw: Thank you so much for the review! I hope this chapter meets your expectations!**

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: I'm sorry if the last chapter lacked detail! I didn't think much about it because I was thinking, 'Oh crap! I haven't updated yet.' and well, my muse ran away and I had to catch it. I hope this chapter meets your expectations! Thank so very much for your continued support and reviews! I practically live on them. XD**

**Kanra-chan: Thanks very much for the review! I'll make sure to do my best. **

**Omgpink: Thanks very much for the review! I will make sure to describe Hibari's facial expression more next time!**

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 6: Mountain Training Knowledge

It was a wonder my grandmother didn't question why I came home a mess last night, stayed up late trying to finish my homework and study and still woke up early the following day- considering it was Sunday when I'd mostly likely be sleeping in and practicing my violin.

"Be careful on your way, Sakura-chan! Make sure you don't trip and fall like yesterday." My grandmother reminded me, as I left the house. Nodding and waving, I climbed on my bike and headed for my training place nicknamed the 'Death Mountain'.

It was still pretty early when I set out. The sun had barely risen above the horizon and the most of the Namimori population seemed to still be asleep. I would have been too, if not for Faye's threat yesterday of making me climb the cliff again if I were late on my first day in training.

Still, all that aside, I felt sleepy.

Having gotten little sleep yesterday had caused me to sway unsteadily on my bike, fighting to keep my eyes open as I biked. I almost ran into someone, had I not stepped on the brakes in time.

Immediately, my eyes shot open as I noticed some sort of road blockage in front of me, only to realize it was a person that I was about to crash into. I stepped on the brakes and stopped just centimeters from the person. I looked up; ready to apologize and found myself looking into the sharp, deadly cobalt blue eyes of head prefect- Hibari Kyouya. I gulped mentally.

"O-Ohayo, Hibari-san! I'm very sorry I almost crashed into you. I didn't see where I was going. I'm really sorry!" I apologized as soon as I jumped off my bike- putting on the stand- and bowed in apology.

"Hn, herbivore. I'll bite you to death for driving while intoxicated." He said, drawing out his tonfas.

"I'm not intoxicated! I just lack sleep. I slept late last night because I had to study and-" I broke off mid-sentence, seeing that no amount of explanation could satisfy the head prefect. "Oh fine, just hit me with your tonfa. It won't matter anyway compared to the bruises I'm going to get later." I muttered.

Hibari raised his tonfa, ready to strike, when he noticed a violin case strapped on the basket of my bike. I had closed my eyes, waiting for the painful impact but it never came.

I opened my eyes after a few seconds and saw that the head prefect was no longer in front of me, but rather behind me, carefully holding my coveted violin.

My first reaction was anger.

How dare he hold me violin after almost attacking me? I had never allowed anyone else to hold my violin, save for my teacher and my family members and some curious friends -whom I had always reminded to hold with caution- because I was afraid that someone might break it and god knows the trouble I went through just to get myself one! But seeing him holding it carefully, my anger melted and was replaced with curiosity.

Did he like music too? I approached him carefully and slowly, afraid he might turn on me and attack. I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it.

"You play the violin, herbivore?" he asked sharply. I nodded.

"I was going to take it with me, hoping that maybe I would get a chance to practice with it later." I replied. He continued to look at it before handing it back to me and walked away. I sighed in relief and continued on my way.

* * *

Despite having arrived there early, I found Dino, Romario, Basil and Faye already there, waiting. I parked my bike under a tree and ran over to them.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" I apologized, bowing as I did. Dino laughed.

"It's all right, Sakura-chan! You're not late. We were just early." Dino replied, patting my head. I had worn it in a neat ponytail this time. I looked around the field that we were in.

"Where's the Varia?" I asked Faye. He shrugged.

"They already left for Italy. Xanxus wanted them back already." He replied. I nodded.

'Your story?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"Anxious, aren't you?" Faye said before he turned serious. "Okay. I'll tell you. I've already told Dino and Basil about it. Listen closely. Reborn only told the Ninth to send for you or to get you involved if anything were to happen to them for precautionary measures and for back-up. The Ninth deemed this disappearance of the Vongola Decimo an emergency so he sent me to assess you. Reborn had already chosen you beforehand because of your abilities and Reborn is the greatest hitman in the world so no one can doubt him. They didn't say what you're true role was in Vongola but even if this situation hadn't arisen, Reborn would have called for you sooner or later. That's all I know." He explained. "Oh, and these are your weapons." He said as he tossed me a pair of metal fans. I caught them easily despite their weight.

"Fans?" I asked incredulously as I flipped them open. They did seem to weigh a lot but I've carried things far heavier than this. I examined them closely.

There were intricate carvings on the edges of the fans, suggesting that the old user had been fond of floral designs. They seemed pretty sharp too. I had no doubt that they could fend off normal attacks and injure a person through close-range combat but I had a feeling that those weren't the only abilities the fans had. I looked at Faye questioningly.

"What can these do?" I asked him. He smirked.

"Well, I was told that it could generate a gust of wind with one wave but I've tried to use it and nothing happened. It's just like any other ordinary fan." He replied.

"Maybe because you're not the right person to wield it." I said suddenly, an idea going through my head. Facing the trees, I closed my eyes.

I took a deep breath.

Intuitive sense or not, I had a feeling that I _could_ wield the fans according to my liking. Theoretically speaking, according to what I've heard from Dino, attacks were based from the amount of energy you wielded. I thought that if I could focus the flowing energy in my body to my hands, then maybe I could generate the gust of wind.

Raising my right hand while I held one fan, I waved it once.

The trees before me exploded as if a tornado had struck.

Dino, Basil, Romario and Faye stared at me in surprise. Faye clapped his hands. "Impressive, Sakura-chan!" Faye said excitedly. "I thought I wouldn't be able to take you on because you were too soft and weak but now that I've seen what you can do… well, there's no need for me to hold back any more is there?" he added. He drew his weapons.

A scythe and a pair of gloves.

He charged at me head-on. I held my fans in a defensive position, my knees bent. I could definitely see the bloodlust in his eyes.

Then he disappeared from my line of view.

I looked for him frantically. Was he coming from the right? From the left? From above? It was already too late when I realized that he'd be coming from behind. By then, the tip of his scythe blade had already reached me and my fan in front of me had just barely blocked his attack. He was holding the handle behind me, his face adorned with a confident grin.

I cursed silently.

I was caught in a death trap.

If I took a step backwards, Faye would mostly like injure me from behind. And I couldn't very well take a step forward because the blade tip of the scythe was trying to push me backward, trying to pierce me.

There was another way up though.

Considering all the crazy ideas I've had since childhood, this was the only one I had a small chance of accomplishing. It was risky, true, but this was a life-and-death situation and a chance is better than nothing.

Pushing against the scythe proved to be one thing, but going to escape the death trap while I fended it off was another. I decided to distract Faye first. I let the scythe push me back until I was near enough to touch Faye and using that chance, I used my other fan to strike at him. He was pushed back by the gust of wind but only by a bit as it had not been strong enough but that was as good a chance as any. Using that temporary distraction, I controlled the energy running through me by taking another deep breath and putting the fans by my side, I flipped them.

I was sent soaring to the air like a jet taking off.

The sudden take-off was just the kind of recklessness I had dreamed of.

"This is awesome!" I screamed, momentarily distracted from my current battle. I had created some kind of steady tornado on the ground that lifted me to the skies and as long as my fans stayed on each of my side. It took an incredible amount of control though. I guess all those years I spent counting to ten in my head really paid off!

My ecstatic joy was only temporary however as Faye recovered his bearings. He ran towards the tornado I had created and used his scythe to slice through it. It went through, of course, but it also stopped the tornado and I was sent falling down to earth.

I had waved my fans once just before impact to save myself but my panic had produced a gust stronger than I had planned so I was elevated up a few feet before I landed with a thud on my behind.

So much for controlled recklessness.

Faye's scythe was at my throat before I could even move.

"Heh. I didn't expect that from a newbie, Sakura-chan. But I have to say, you're pretty good!" he said as he moved his scythe away. He held out a hand to and I took it. He pulled me up to my feet. "I guess Reborn is never wrong." He added, scratching his head.

We both paused for a minute before we resumed our practice.

* * *

"Man that was some hard-core practice!" I muttered to myself as I walked down the mountain trail, rubbing my sore arm. Faye had given me a break due to Dino's insistence but had ordered me to buy drinks for all of them. "Damn Faye! He thinks he can just get away with everything. I have half a mind to kick his ass later for whipping me during practice."

Our practice had generally been good but it seemed to me that Faye was only toying with me. He had liked to tease me when I couldn't land a hit so I became more determined and eventually I learned to control my fans or at least the basics of it. I was distracted from my musings when I heard a sudden shout among the bushes. Curious, I made my way to the source of the noise and found Shouichi, lying on the ground, a look of terror on his face. I sighed and approached him.

"Shouichi! What the heck are you doing here?" I asked him in exasperation as soon as we were within speaking distance. Upon hearing my voice, he stood up and laughed nervously, scratching his head.

"S-Sakura-chan! Konichiwa! I was looking for you but your grandmother said you were on the mountain, training, so I followed you here." He explained.

"And you got lost?" I asked. He nodded. I sighed and led him out of the bushes to the mountain trail. He was clutching his stomach so we stopped for a bit.

"Are you okay? You still get stomach aches when you're nervous?" I asked him. He nodded and stood up straight, indicating that we could walk now.

"It's kind of built-in. Gomenasai for being a bother, Sakura-chan!" he said with an apologetic smile. I shook my head.

"You're not a bother. You're my friend. Friends help each other out." I replied with a smile. He frowned.

"Yeah, but ever since we were kids, you're always the one who's been put in danger because of me." He said, as we walked. I sighed.

"For the thousandth time, Shouichi, I don't mind. Really. I did promise that I'd be your friend till the end, didn't I?" I asked him. He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. Even though we were still kids then, you never fail to astound me with your sincerity despite your recklessness. All right, I have a promise to make too." He said. I paused for a bit in walking and looked at him. "I promise that I'll help you, no matter what happens and no matter what cost." He continued, stretching out a hand. I smiled and shook it before we went on our way.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! There you are. How long does it take to go down the mountain and buy us something to drink?" Faye asked in an overbearing voice, sitting on the ground.

I tossed Basil a soda can, as well as Romario and Dino who all said thanks. I threw Faye's right at his head and it hit-unexpectedly.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, standing up as he rubbed the side of his head which I had hit. I shrugged and sat beside Dino, opening my own can and taking a long gulp.

I had been able to send Shouichi home after accompanying him down the mountain after reassuring him that I was fine. We were taking a break from training and Dino offered to take over after our short break.

"Sakura-chan! Are you ready now?" Dino asked as he stood up. I nodded and followed him to the center of the field.

"Do you have your ring with you, Sakura-chan?" Dino asked suddenly. I cocked my head to the side.

"My ring?" I repeated slowly. "I don't have any" was I was about to say when I remembered my grandmother giving me a ring with a strange insignia before I left the house yesterday…

_She spotted my bandaged arms just as I was about to turn the doorknob._

"_Sakura-chan?" she called me. I froze in mi-step. "Would you come here for a moment?" she added. I turned around to face her slowly. I noted the difference in her tone. Though I couldn't point out what it was exactly, there was something definitely off about it. _

"_O-Okay!" I answered. She started to walk towards her room and I followed. I was worried that she would interrogate me about my wounds but surprisingly, she did not._

_She was rummaging around her closet as I sat down nervously on the tatami mats. She pulled out a strange black box with an insignia of a coat of arms on top from her closet. Opening the box, it revealed a ring with some sort of mark on top. I stared at it in curiosity. She took out a chain from her closet as well and slung the ring in place before she handed it to me._

"_That's a good luck charm, Sakura-chan! Bullies from the other school must badly want to sabotage your soccer team to hurt you like that. That charm will be your weapon against them when you learn how to use it properly. You have an appointment, right? You better go now before you're late." She said without so much as an explanation and shooed me out of her room. She had a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes._

_I had left the house that day feeling very confused but it was soon pushed at the back of my mind as I had more pressing matters to attend to._

Now that I thought about it, she actually used the word 'weapon'. Her words now seemed to fit in place as I thought about connecting it to all the life-and-death situations I've faced so far.

"This ring?" I asked as I pulled it out from under the collar of my shirt. Dino nodded.

"Put it on." He said. I took off the chain and put on the ring. It fit perfectly- strangely enough. "I'm going to teach you how to light your ring with your own flames so listen closely." He added. I nodded.

"In the Vongola family, there are seven rings officially with seven guardians for each ring. They all have different attributes and different colors. The first is the Sky Guardian who is Sawada Tsunayoshi. As the boss and Sky Guardian, he has an orange flame. The Vongola Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyouya has purple flames, the Vongola Storm Guardian, Gokudera Hayato has red flames, the Vongola Rain Guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi has blue flames, the Vongola Lightning Guardian, Lambo of the Bovino family has green flames, the Vongola Sun Guardian Sasagawa Ryohei has yellow flames and the Vongola Mist Guardian has indigo flames. The people with the same attributes as the Sky, Cloud, Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun and Mist generally have the same color of flames also. The flames are produced through rings that must also be compatible with the person's attribute. Since you already have your own ring, that's not a problem anymore but producing your flame is. To produce your flame, you have to have a strong resolution and then focus your energy on your ring to create a flame. It usually takes a lot of practice. The stronger your resolution, the bigger your flame is." Dino finished.

"So what type of flame am I?" I asked eagerly.

"There's only one way to find out. Make your own flame." Faye told me as he approached us. "So what's your resolution?"

"I- I'm not sure." I muttered.

"What do you want to resolve?" Dino asked. I looked at his amber eyes before I shifted my gaze to the trees.

My resolution…

I looked up at the clouds and noted the birds that were flying in the sky. I sighed. Who knew my ordinary life as a Namimori Middle School student would eventually turn out to be like this? Looking down at my wounds now, I noted the evidence of my weakness and strangely enough, it sort of made me hate myself. True, my life was normal- or at least it used to be. But somehow, ever since I had the feeling that something was going on in the background that I wasn't aware of- ever since that kid Reborn came in short- I felt kind of bored. I felt guilty for not appreciating the things I had now but of course, my streak of recklessness never gave me any peace- not that I did anything stupid to indulge myself.

Now that I thought of it, I usually used that recklessness to defeat those who wanted to harm the people that I loved. Like the Shokyouku thugs who tried to mug Sasuke and the bullies who used to torment Shouichi, I hadn't thought of any specific battle plan before I had charged in to save them. Seeing them in trouble, it gave me the strength and the determination to become stronger to be able to protect those that I loved and cherished.

I smiled.

I had my resolution now.

Dino's teachings and Faye's training seemed to have paid off wonderfully.

* * *

This chapter was shorter and kind of messy so please forgive me! This is a compensation for all the ridiculously long chapters that I've done. I hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave a review! Thank you so very much!

The weapons are exactly like Adelheid's but I swear I was already thinking of them before the the manga's issue about the Shimon family was released. I'm really sorry about that! I could have changed the weapons but I couldn't think of anything else. I'm low on creative energy as of now. I'm really sorry! But I will add a little twist to her weapons. I promise!


	7. To Expect the Unexpected

I'm sorry for making you guys wait this long! I really didn't know what I title I could use for this chapter and I'm currently starting my summer class so I'm busier than before. I'm really sorry! I hope you like this chapter. The title is kind of lame but I've got a special surprise for those who have been waiting for it.

Now for the personal messages:

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you very much for your support and reviews! I hope again that this chapter will meet your expectations. XD**

**Omgpink: Thanks for the comment and supporting my story! XD**

**x3iLoveAnime: Thanks for giving me review! XD **

**ann: Thanks for the review! XD**

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 7: To Expect the Unexpected

It was hard to think of something that I would like to resolve to qualify as a strong resolution.

There were too many things that I wanted to do. Like being a star soccer player and winning the district soccer tournament or being the first in class or being a great violinist and I knew that with hard work and patience, I could achieve those. But what would make as a good resolution?

The answer came to me when I remembered how I got incredibly reckless when there were people who tried to hurt the one whom I cherished. Looking right at Dino again, I gave my answer.

"I want to defeat those who dare harm the people that I love."

With those words, my ring lit up in…

A silver color?!

I stared at it in wonder and surprise. "S-Silver?" I muttered to myself bringing my hand closer to my eyes for a closer scrutiny. It was only a small flame, not a huge raging fire that I expected it to be but a flame nonetheless.

Dino looked as shocked and baffled as I did. Faye looked indifferent but a glint in his eye told me that he might have been expecting it.

"Silver? How is that possible? There are only seven types of flames in existence!" Dino muttered as he stared at my flame. Faye walked up to my side lazily, as if he weren't perturbed by the unexpected flame color.

"Well, all that aside, you don't have a strong resolution. Your small flame can't rival anyone's." Faye said lazily as he examined the flame on my ring that could have been taken out by a small puff of wind.

"I-I'm still working on it!" I snapped back. He smirked.

"In any case, you can't fight with that small flame. You'd be too easy to defeat." He said. Dino seemed to have regained his composure and shook his head at my flame in assent.

"Faye's right. That flame is too weak. You need a better resolution." Dino said. I grimaced.

Even though I had produced a flame, they still didn't think it was enough. I slapped myself mentally. It sure was hard to please anyone nowadays. Basil also walked towards us to look at my flame.

"But, thy flame… its color is different. If only Reborn-dono were here, he wouldst have given an explanation." Basil said rather dejectedly.

"Well, we can think about that later. What you need to work on now, Sakura-chan is how to make your flame stronger. You need to focus on your resolution." Faye said and walked back to where he sat from before. "Dino will take over, as he said. I'll just be a spectator." He added as he sat down.

"A critic, you mean." I murmured under my breath as I held up my fans in a battle stance. Dino took out his whip.

"All right, let's start." Dino said. I attacked first. I swung my fans at him, creating air waves that cut through the ground, creating dents, with the force that I used. He evaded my attacks easily by side-stepping them. He struck me using his whip and I was thrown back but I managed to jump up before he struck again, evading his second attack.

I swung my fans at him again while in mid-air but he jumped up too and used that chance to strike me with his whip. I fell down on the ground on my back.

Panting and holding my stomach, I stood up, putting one hand on my knee as a support and took a deep breath before resuming my battle stance.

"Don't get distracted easily, Sakura-chan! Pay attention to your surroundings. Your enemy isn't always immobile, you know! It's just like soccer. You have to know how to counter. Use your intuition! Though it isn't anything like the Vongola Decimo's super intuition, it's still useful." Faye shouted at me from where he sat.

"I know, I know!" I shot back as I refocused on Dino. His face was a serious mask and I decided to imitate it. I ran towards him again, my fans at my side.

"You should try a different approach, Sakura-chan. You can't always go charging into battle." Dino said as he threw out his whip again to hit me.

I vanished from his line of view at the last moment before his whip reached me and appeared again above him. I swung my fan at him again before he could have had a chance to retract his whip and the gust of wind it created hit him.

I had flicked my wrists just before the whip reached me and losing no time at all, I used that chance to jump up, gaining momentum from the wind that I produced when I moved my fans. When I looked back at Dino, he was on the ground, kneeling on one knee. He sat down on the ground and flashed me a grin.

"Now _that _is the way you should attack. Don't ever hold back or you won't survive a real battle." Dino said, grinning. I nodded and waited for him to stand before we went at it again.

I decided to release my flame this time.

Clutching my fans in my hands as Dino came to a standstill- seeing my sudden pause; I focused on my resolution and willed my flame to come out.

To my surprise, it didn't.

I stared at my ring, focusing on my resolution but it didn't even light in a small flame! Dino walked over to me then.

"What is it?" he asked me.

"I can't get my flame to come out!" I told him. There was a slight hint of frustration in my tone.

"That means you have a weak resolution! Think of another one." Faye shouted from where he sat.

"This isn't as easy as it looks!" I shot back. Dino scratched his head.

"Maybe we should save that for next time." He said. "Let's continue our practice for now." I nodded glumly.

Our sparring continued for the rest of that day until afternoon. By then, I was panting, tired and I couldn't move a muscle. I had been able to land a few hits on Dino but in retrospect, I suspected he had been too easy on me. He only got a little serious in the middle of our fight after I got the hang of it and had been able to hit him hard in his stomach with my foot when he had been caught off-guard.

Lying down on the grass, I closed my eyes, letting my thoughts wander. The setting sun was casting its last rays and I felt comfortable underneath it. I hadn't been bruised as I thought I would have like when I fought Hibari but then Dino wasn't as bloodthirsty as the head prefect. Sighing, I rolled over to my side listened to Dino and Faye talk.

"Well, her combat skills have improved as well as her reflexes. And comparing her fighting capacity from a week ago to now, I'd say her improvement would have been satisfying to Reborn's standards." Dino told Faye.

Faye looked over at my still figure. "I guess so. Her hits are getting dangerously more accurate in every fight so yeah, we can let her go home for today at least." He agreed. At that I sat up with an eager expression on my face. I had wanted to go home for a while now to rest.

"Really? You're letting me off?" I asked eagerly. Dino laughed and walked over to me to pat my head.

"Gomene, Sakura-chan! I guess you really didn't have a choice in this matter. I'm sorry for that and for making you work hard." He said as he bent down till we were eye-level. He smiled at me apologetically. I blushed very slightly.

"I-Iie! It's okay! I understand. Tsunayoshi-kun didn't get a choice in this too so why should I complain? It's not your fault anyway so you don't need to apologize." I said waving my hands. He smiled at me again and chuckled before patting my head.

"Ahaha! You really remind me of Tsuna sometimes." He said, chuckling and stood up. I stood up as well and dusted my pants off. I jogged over to my bike and waved a goodbye to all of them as I headed home, feeling drained and a bit frustrated at myself.

I sighed as I rode my bike home.

I had spent the whole day training with Dino and Faye and yet I still couldn't produce a steady flame. Heck, I couldn't even cover my fans with my flame!

I felt like such a failure. I hung my head in disappointment.

I was daydreaming about how to form a better resolution when I felt it then.

I had thought that it was just my imagination but when I looked up, I saw it coming down and it landed on my cheek.

A raindrop.

I looked up at the now dark sky as the drops increased, slowly becoming a drizzle.

Passers-by had started to desert the streets as I stood there, in the middle of the onslaught of rain, staring at the sky. It had been about two weeks since I last had this feeling.

Dread.

It was subtle as I stared at the downfall of rain from the sky. As happy as I was, feeling the soothing sensation of the raindrops on my skin, I couldn't banish that feeling ever since he had shown up in my life.

I dreaded seeing Byakuran again.

I hadn't forgotten what he had said since the last time we met…

"_I am Byakuran. I travel through time and space. I've known you since the day of your birth. I've met you in the different universes that I have conquered. I recognize your talent. I want you to become a part of my family, my ally. Your power will be essential to achieve my goals and to keep you from the hands of my adversaries. I'm not asking you to join me; I want you to make a choice. Lead your boring life as it is, or join me in my world of excitement." He had said._

His words still sent a shiver down my spine as I recalled them.

I was about to continue my journey home when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Turning around, I felt fear take over as I imagined those purple eyes again when I saw that it wasn't him, rather someone I didn't expect to see at all.

It was Hibari Kyouya, his cobalt steel blue eyes regarding me with slight contempt.

My heart resumed its normal pace.

"Konbanwa, Hibari-san! Gomene. I was just spacing out." I apologized, completely forgetting that I was in the middle of the street, soaking wet with possibly a very few passers-by eying me with confusion, mistaking me for some person under some sort of delirium.

"Hn. You're soaking wet, herbivore." He said, stating an obvious fact. This time, I detected a slight glint of amusement in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Unlike me, he was perfectly dry and immaculately clean, wearing the Namimori uniform navy blue sweater instead of his black jacket- even on a Sunday night- and was holding a black umbrella.

"I forgot my umbrella at home." I replied. His frown deepened. His hand holding the umbrella moved towards me hesitantly and I could sense some sort of internal argument going on inside his mind whether to let me stand under the same umbrella as him or to walk away and pretend that he had never seen me.

The first option won out when he heard me sneeze.

He didn't say anything else as he stretched his arm enough to cover me under the shade of his umbrella and started to walk. I followed him, holding my bike by the handles as I wheeled it beside me.

Though we didn't speak for the rest of our walk, he seemed to know where I was going or rather where I lived for that matter- as odd as it may sound. When we reached my doorstep, he turned around to leave at once, as if he was afraid that I may misinterpret his one act of kindness.

"Thank you very much, Hibari-san! I promise I'll repay you someday." I shouted after him. He didn't respond, not like I was expecting him too. I went inside my house and greeted my grandmother before I changed my clothes and helped with the preparation of dinner.

Too bad I didn't see the smirk on Hibari's face as he left.

* * *

_I was in a strange white room, wearing a dress that was deemed as semi-formal and was holding my violin on one hand, the bowstring on the other. No one else was in the room, save for one single lone audience, sitting on a cushioned armchair in the shadows at the far corner of the room._

_I took this as indication that I was about to start a performance._

_Putting the violin on my shoulder and closing my eyes, I raised my bowstring and started to play a soft melody._

_It was nothing special and I doubt my performance was even worth any applause but I didn't care. I was only too happy to be playing my violin after abandoning it for a few days now, ever since my assessment and the start of my training._

_The time and place became irrelevant as I progressed on playing the piece that I had chosen and somehow, I preferred it that way. Reminiscing about all the past events that happened for the last two weeks, this was the only time that I felt truly at peace, that I felt that I was in my sanctuary where no one could disturb me._

_Regardless of the skill with which I played, I heard a silent clapping when the last note sounded. I opened my eyes and looked up at the person who was applauding._

_Revealing him from the shadows, a figure dressed in white with unnatural white hair and purple shining eyes emerged and stood out. _

_My throat became parched, the inconvenient muteness taking over once more as he walked towards me, almost near enough to touch me. _

"_Oya, Sakura-chan! Long time no see! Have you thought about my proposition yet?" Byakuran asked, smiling at me._

_Byakuran had come to visit after all._

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

Okay, I'm not sure if that was any good and Hibari may have been a bit OOC in this chapter. I'm really sorry! Thanks for reading the seventh chapter! The future arc is only a few chapters away! Thank you for your continued support!

Please, please, please leave a review! I want to know what you readers think of my story. I'm open to constructive criticisms. Thank you!


	8. Nightmare

Okay… This chapter kind of sucks for me, especially Sakura's conversation with Hibari later and I'm afraid I might have messed up Sakura's personality in this one. I kind of lost track what I was trying to do when I typed this. I'm really sorry! I still hope you guys read and review! I'm really sorry for messing up. Hibari might be a bit OOC too. I'm really sorry about that!

Now for the personal messages:

**EvilBoyzR2Cute: Thank you so very much for your continued support! I'm sorry if this didn't meet your expectations. **

**Omgpink: Thank you so very much for reviewing! I hope that this is the drama you were looking for. XD**

**Aoi Kazuya: Thank you for taking your time to leave a review! I hope you don't mind about my adding a new flame. **

**xburner21: Thank you for taking your time to review! Sakura's abilities and attribute will be revealed after the next chapter as she talks to Reborn!**

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 8: Nightmare

"_B-Byakuran!" I stuttered. I took an unconscious step back. He grinned at me._

"_I see that you still remember me." He said smiling wider still. His left hand was holding a plastic bag of marshmallows while his right was grabbing marshmallows from the bag. He popped one in his mouth and stretched his left hand to me._

"_Want some?" he asked. I shook my head. He pouted but popped more into his mouth. "Let's sit down then." He said, walking back towards where he had originally sat. I noticed that there was also a seat in front of his so I sat there._

"_So what have you been doing these days, Sakura-chan? You look pretty scratched up." He said as he crossed his legs and leaned towards me, his face etched in what I suspected was fake concern. I leaned back in my chair._

"_I got beaten up by thugs from the other school because they wanted to incapacitate me before the soccer tournament started." I lied. I did it with a straight face. Somehow, I felt that telling him about my latest escapades wasn't really an ideal topic of conversation- let alone anything I wanted to talk about or impart. He frowned but said nothing. I fervently hoped he didn't catch that lie._

_When he didn't say anything anymore, I chose to break the silence for us before it got too awkward._

"_How did you get in here? I am dreaming, right?" I asked suspiciously. I remembered bidding my grandmother goodnight before my head hit my pillow and I fell asleep. I had no recollection of ever wearing a girly white dress and tying my hair up into a bun with a white ribbon. He laughed aloud, as if seeming to find my questions amusing._

"_Yes. You are asleep. Well, as for how I got inside your dream… That isn't really important. What is important though, is your decision. I've been waiting for two weeks now, Sakura-chan. Have you thought about what I said since the last time we met?" he asked. _

_There was a tone of seriousness in his voice and it was a sign that I should tread carefully._

_I nodded slowly._

"_What is your decision then?" he asked eagerly, smiling even wider. I looked down at my lap where my hands clutched the fabric of my dress._

_It was time to face the music._

"_In all honesty? I don't want to be a part of whatever you're planning." I answered bluntly. I didn't dare look into his face when I said those words._

_All at once, I felt hostility from him surround me._

_It was nothing like I'd ever felt before. It was slowly suffocating me. I put my hand on my neck as my breathing became ragged. _

"_What did you say, Sakura-chan? I thought you were bored of living a normal life." He said with a slight pout to his voice. I fell to my knees on the floor, struggling to breathe._

_So I had been right all along._

_That dangerous glint in his eyes, that sinister aura that always pervaded the very core of my being every time he drew near… Those were not anything to laugh about or to dismiss easily._

_I should have known from the start that he would turn into something hideous once I did something to displease him._

_Slowly, the peaceful ambiance that had surrounded my dream became dark._

_This was no ordinary dream._

_This was a real nightmare._

_A nightmare wherein he could end my life at the time of his liking._

_I struggled to talk. "I am bored but it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate what I have. My home, my friends, my family, my life… I wouldn't give them up for anything else!" I told him weakly. He frowned._

"_Then I guess I'll have to tear them away from you, ne, Sakura-chan?" he said, his normal easy-going grin returning to his face. I froze at his words._

_Anger started to build up in my oxygen-deprived state._

"_Don't you dare touch them!" I hissed. I looked up at him with burning eyes. "If you dare lay a single hand on them, you'll regret it."_

"_Oya, Sakura-chan! You're actually very scary when you're angry. Of course, I won't kill them… yet. I still need them to make you power up. As it is, you're still a hatch-ling learning how to fly. If I kill them now, you'll lose your reason to live and survive and you'll be just another empty shell. It would be a waste to just end your life without fully exploiting your abilities. I admit, you're something to be desired and even you don't know that. Aside from your looks, your abilities are also quite something. I'll have to get rid of that stubborn reluctance of yours first though and your loved ones is the only key to achieving that." Byakuran said almost happily. I gave him the most menacing glare I could manage._

"_I'll die before I let you do that." I hissed. He stood up suddenly but slowly. Walking over to where I knelt, he bent his knees until we were eye-level._

"_You don't seem to understand the situation you're in, Sakura-chan. Even if you do die, I'll still kill everyone who has a relation to you. Your death will mean nothing. You will perish with the rest of your loved ones. But it will be different though, if you choose to join me. Think about it." He said smiling still with a bit of persuasiveness. _

_I could have scoffed at his words if I could breathe. _

_Whatever he was saying, he knew in the end that he would still win. No matter how much I tried to defy him, he would still have things his way._

_The thought scared me and angered me at the same time._

_I couldn't do a thing about because I was too weak- no matter how much I wanted to. _

_I hated the feeling of being useless._

_I hated not being able to help those that I loved and cherished._

_For me, not being able to anything for those that I loved…_

_I would have lost the true meaning of life if that were the case._

_Life seemed confusing to me at the moment._

_I couldn't decide what to do, how I should act. My instincts told me that choosing to join Byakuran would mean that I would be helping to unleash something devastating and evil but if I didn't, it would also mean the end of my life and the ones I loved and I could never let that happen._

_Byakuran looked into my face, staring at me intently. I blinked when he leaned towards me closer, distracting me from my moment of despair._

_He smiled at me rather fondly._

"_It seems that whichever time I travel to, your beauty and fierceness still captures my interest, Sakura-chan. I would hate to have to kill you if it comes to it." He said with a smile. Leaning closer, his finger tilted my chin up and his lips hovered dangerously close above mine. I could smell his breath with a slight scent of marshmallow._

_And then, my alarm clock rang._

I shot out of bed faster than I would have expected.

In my hurry, I fell out of bed with an unceremonious thud on ground. I rubbed my behind on which I had fallen on.

"Ow! That hurt!" I muttered under my breath as I stood up. I pushed the snooze button on my alarm clock and grabbed my uniform from my closet and headed to the bathroom.

It wasn't until I had fully immersed myself in freezing cold water that I had fully convinced myself that Byakuran and I _did not_ kiss did I relax. I sighed as I let the suds take over my body.

If my alarm clock had not chosen to awaken me at that time, my first kiss would have been stolen by some odious white guy.

The mere thought of it sent shivers down my spine.

What a weird way to start my day.

"Today's a free day, eh, Sakura-chan?" Sasuke commented as classes ended that day. I was organizing my locker which was beside his and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! I can finally practice my violin today." I said cheerfully as I stuffed some books in my bag. I noticed a look of disappointment pass Sasuke's face which disappeared quickly.

"Oh, right. You have a recital next week, don't you?" he said sheepishly. I nodded again, smiling happily.

"It would be my first solo performance without a piano accompaniment. I am so psyched about it! Not that I don't like piano accompaniments but usually there would be two of us violinists or three so I can't really tell if I'm good or not."

He smiled at me sheepishly. "You know, you're usually so into soccer like the baseball club's Yamamoto Takeshi that I forget you actually love to play the violin." He said scratching his head. "Most of us think you're all brawn." He added. I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.

"Well, for your information, being a soccer player doesn't necessarily mean that I'm no brain and all muscle, you know!" I shot back. He laughed and I smiled.

Though the horror of yesterday night's nightmare still lingered, I was happy to pretend for the time being that my life consisted of nothing but my studies, friends, family, soccer and my music. I bid Sasuke goodbye and proceeded to the music room where I knew my teacher would impatiently be waiting.

"Well, that concludes today's practice lesson, Sakura. I trust you've been practicing as you're play has improved." My teacher said sternly. I nodded meekly. She adjusted her eyeglasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose. "I believe you'll do well for your recital next week." She added after a pause. I smiled up at her eagerly.

"Really? You think so, Narushima-sensei? Obaa-san will be watching in my parents' stead so I really don't want to disappoint her." I said. She sighed.

"Yes, yes. You'll do fine. Better than my other students, in fact. Even though you really aren't as skilled, I'd say your determination and persistence to learn has covered up for that lack. I must congratulate you on surviving my strict training. You have done well." She said. There was a slight reluctance to her voice as she said those words as if she was afraid that she might be making my head swell with praise- she rarely gives any- but I smiled at her nonetheless. I bowed very low.

"Thank you very much for teaching me, Narushima-sensei! I'm sorry if I've been a trouble all these years. Thank you very much for your patience!" I said, my smile reaching from ear to ear. She nodded and waved me off impatiently as she prepared to leave herself. I left the music room in a happier mood.

I was skipping in the now-deserted hallways of the school on my way out when I noticed the dark skies.

It was raining again.

I shivered unconsciously and I gripped my arm.

That feeling of hostility Byakuran unleashed on me last night was a nasty reminder of what he could do to me and I was by no means ready or willing to be subjected to it again. I stood staring at the window, watching the silent raindrops fall when I heard silent footfalls. I turned around when I did, grabbing the retractable metal rod from where I hid it in my pocket (I kept it there in case Byakuran ambushed me today) and let it expand.

I stopped in my attack when I noticed that it was only Hibari Kyouya, the head prefect, doing his religious daily rounds of patrolling in the school.

He stopped when he saw me holding my staff, a look of complete hostility on my face.

"Herbivore, do you plan to challenge me? I'll bite you to death then." He said, drawing out his tonfas. I blinked at him. I paused for a while, absorbing my current situation and drew back my staff. I bowed my head in apology.

"Gomene, Hibari-san. I don't want to challenge or trouble you. I'm so very sorry. It's just that…" I trailed over my last sentence, not sure if I could tell him about my fears but then I shook my head. "I'm really sorry to bother you! I just came from violin practice and stayed here until this late hour because I wanted to make sure that I had my piece down by today. I have a solo recital next week and I don't want to mess up. I hope you understand. I didn't mean to disrupt the peace here." I rephrased bowing again. He seemed to accept this and continued to walk towards me.

"Go home then. I trust that you won't be as foolish this time as to forget you're umbrella." He said as he passed me. I nodded with a smile.

He eyes flashed to my face for a brief second before he stopped in his tracks a meter away from me.

"What's with that face, herbivore?" he said without turning around to look at me. I turned around to look at his back.

"What do you mean, Hibari-san?" I asked confused. Was there something in my expression that he didn't like?

"You look as if you're scared for your life. That smile isn't going to fool anyone, herbivore. You're so pathetic. You'll only lose if you show your weakness." He said as he faced me. I stared at him.

So he had been able to tell that I was afraid.

I looked outside the window so that he couldn't see my expression.

"You're pretty sharp, Hibari-san! I never expected you, of all people, to tell me that." I said softly. He frowned.

"Hn. Anyone can see that your eyes are afraid. Pretty pathetic for someone who survived my attacks."

"I'm sorry. It's just that this is my first time to experience such a predicament and well… I really don't know what to do. I usually have an answer for everything. It's what keeps me calm and coordinated, even during times of crisis in soccer matches. I'm reckless then because I usually know what I have to do to win but now… I don't have an answer for anything at all." I murmured silently. I looked at the ground. I hadn't really wanted to profess my weakness to him but I felt that I needed to let it out.

"Che. Idiot herbivore. I thought everyone said you were smart. The answer is simple, if I have to spell it out for you: You fight."

I turned around to look at him. "You don't understand. I can't! I'll endanger every person I value the most if I do. He'll kill them! He's merciless-" I cut myself off, covering my mouth with my hand. His eyes narrowed at me and when I didn't say anything else, he started to walk away. He paused after some thought.

"Then protect them. You're exactly like that herbivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and his herd of herbivores. Both of you irritate me. If you have people to protect, then fight. You really are too dense, stupid herbivore. This will be the last time I shall remind you of that." He said before he disappeared down another hallway, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging agape.

Did he just say what I think he just said?

I smiled- this time in appreciation and a look of determination took over my face.

Hibari was right.

If there was someone I wanted to protect, I would just have to be strong enough to protect them. And by becoming strong, I would have to train and master my flame. Taking the ring from the chain under my shirt, I raised it up in the air and grinned at it.

"Well, Hibari is right. I can't just be a baby and sit around and cry about it. I have to get stronger and learn how to defend myself and others." I muttered to myself.

I left the school feeling lighter than I had that day.

Walking home on my own in the middle of a light rainfall normally wouldn't have bothered me but considering the fact that I might bump into Byakuran anytime at all made me more wary and slightly paranoid. Okay, maybe slightly isn't the word but I was paranoid, nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to stop by the park to get myself some crepe.

I was passing by under a tree when I heard a slight rustle from the branches.

Whipping out my retractable metal staff from my pocket, I directed it at the tree, waiting for whatever thing that was hiding in the trees to come out.

A small bird revealed itself by taking a peek from the boughs of the tree.

I let out a sigh of relief and shoved my staff back in my pocket and continued on my way.

I had only taken a few steps when I heard another rustle that made me stop in my tracks.

It was too late when I turned around and saw a huge purple tube-like weapon flying right at me.

Letting go of my umbrella, I brought my arm up to cover my head before everything went black.

How my life started from being an innocent schoolgirl that turned into a guardian for the Vongola family, sworn to protect the tenth generation boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi, I would never know.

So that's it for the eighth chapter! I was thinking of adding an omake of you guys wanted it so please tell me if you do. You can state your complaints now about this chapter by clicking the button that says 'Review this story'.

Please review my story! I really want to know what you guys think about it. Please tell me if you have any suggestions, complaints or anything you want to say. Please review!

Thanks very much for reading! I appreciate the time you took to read this. XD


	9. The Future Welcoming Experience

I have recently found out that it's against the rules to post personal messages for people here so I'll just PM you guys who give me reviews. Sorry about that! I must have missed reading that part. And thanks to **The Rudiment Goldbrick **for telling me! I'll just mention the people who give me reviews.

Thanks very much to **Memmi, x3iLoveAnime, omgpink, blacklightningwolf, TheRudimentGoldbrick! Thank you for leaving a review and for all those who have read this story! Thank you very much!**

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 9: The Future Welcoming Experience

The glow of the morning sun surprised me when I opened my eyes to my unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where the hell am I? What was that thing?" I murmured as I rubbed my eyes clear. Was I hallucinating? I distinctly remembered walking home on a wet gray afternoon when some kind of purple tube-like weapon hit me.

Standing up, I brushed off the dirt from my skirt and clutched my bag and my violin case in one hand. I held my hand to my forehead, covering my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun and looked around. I realized that I was in some kind of forest as trees and shrubs lined my surroundings. I sighed, taking deep breaths to calm myself and collect my thoughts.

When I looked at the ground where I had previously sat, I saw a small box lying near my feet. It was silver colored- oddly enough- and had a small opening on one side. It had carvings on the other sides and I looked at it in close scrutiny.

It was then when I heard distinct sounds of human breathing from the bushes.

I took out my ring, putting it on and took out my fans from my bag. Letting my violin case and my bag drop on the ground, I held my fans in each hand at my side and waited for the person hiding in the bushes to emerge. I slipped the small peculiar box in my pocket.

Several men dressed in black emerged from the bushes. They all had rings and had boxes almost the same as mine strapped to their belts. They stopped when they saw me and my fans.

"There seems to be a girl here. And she's wearing a ring. Is she one of the Vongolas?" one of them asked.

"No, I don't think so. She looks too young. But she does remind me of someone… The girl we were chasing before." Another answered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, she does look like it. Hey, little girl! Are you lost?" one them asked me. I twitched at being called a 'little girl' but decided to keep a polite face. Though I sensed a killing intent within these men, it was best if I didn't act rashly. I had to remind myself that I may be treading on enemy territory though at the moment, I wasn't sure _who_ exactly my enemy was.

Stupid intuition.

I bowed. "Gomene. I think I am. I was just trying to find my way home. May I ask where I am?" I asked politely.

"Eh? You don't know where you are? You're in the Namimori forest!" one of them replied. He was whacked on the head by the other.

"Don't waste your time talking to her. We still need to pursue that Vongola girl. We'll just take her with us as hostage and ask Irie-sama what to do with her." The other one said.

My ears perked up at the name Irie. Could it possibly Irie Shouichi? I had no time to think about it as the group of men advanced towards me. I took a step back.

Then, they lunged.

I evaded them easily. Their attacks reminded much of soccer but I suspected that I haven't seen anything yet.

One of them hit their head on the tree when I ducked and dodged their attack and cursed. "Damn you, bitch! You'll pay for that!" he hissed as he rubbed his head. They now circled me and I raised my fans, preparing to fight.

"Awww…. Little girly is about to fight? What are you going to do? Spank us with those fans?" One of them mocked me. I narrowed my eyes and clutched my fans tightly.

It was now or never.

Closing my eyes, I willed my flames to come out, focusing on my resolution.

I wasn't thinking clearly when I thought about it as my emotions were muddled but whatever resolution I thought of at that time must have been strong as my flames suddenly burst out.

And it was bigger than before.

My fans were engulfed in the flames and I felt them lighten just like what a normal fan would weigh like. The men stared at me, their mouths hanging open.

"A different flame color… Open your box weapons! She can fight with her flames. Defeat her and bring her back to the Melone base." One of them shouted. All at once, their rings lit in different colors and they inserted them into the boxes that they carried. Weapons shot out of their boxes that were also coated in their flames.

They attacked me all at once.

I blocked them with my fans. They pushed against it but my flames got bigger and they were blasted away without my having anything to do to them. They were slammed into the trees, smashing the trunks.

I panted but I felt great.

I didn't know that my flame could get that big. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush at being attacked all at once or the fear and confusion welling in my heart but either way, I had the upper hand for now so I might as well use this chance to knock them unconscious and then escape and try to get my bearings.

When they stood up, I flicked one fan behind me, using the gust of wind to fly at them and then sent them flying into the air by swinging the other fan at them.

I turned just in time to block an attack from behind and sent the person who attacked me flying with one kick in the gut. I didn't give him a chance to recover as I flew towards him and swung my other fan at him. He too was sent flying in the air well over the tree-tops to who-knows-where just like his other companions.

It was only my bad luck that I didn't notice one last person left standing behind me.

I had been able to avoid the brunt of the attack but he was able to leave a cut on my arm and kick me on my back.

I fell on one knee, too tired after using too much of my flames. One hand was on my chest while the other was on the ground, supporting my weight.

"Heh, looks like you lack control over your flames kid. Your combat skills are good but you're still just a kid in the end. Bye-bye!" he said as he struck me down.

I closed my eyes and waited for the painful impact.

It never came.

I only heard the thud of his body as he fell to the ground.

Opening my eyes, I looked up and saw the steel cobalt blue eyes of a man who was wearing a black suit with a purple dress shirt underneath. He had his tonfas raised that were covered in purple flames. He put them down when he saw me looking at him.

It was Hibari Kyouya.

I stared up at him as if I were seeing a hallucination right before my eyes. My bag and my violin case were a meter away from me and my fans were still clutched in my hands and I was aware that his eyes slightly widened as he took in my features. It was as if he was surprised to see me there. The expression only lasted for a split second though before it turned back to nonchalance.

Approaching the man he had just beaten, he took his purple ring and said, "I'm confiscating this ring for disrupting the peace here."

I paled yet I felt like laughing at the same time.

This was definitely Hibari Kyouya, no matter how different he looked now.

"Hitako Sakura, are you just going to sit there and stare at me all day?" Hibari asked, his shadow looming over me. I spoke the first words that came to my mind.

"You know, saying my name for once is actually a nice change from the standard nickname 'herbivore'." I blurted out. His eyes narrowed at me but said nothing. He threw my violin case and my book bag on my lap. Then, fishing out a silvery chain from his coat pocket, he handed it to me.

"Wrap that around your ring." He ordered. I nodded and took it from his outstretched hand. Our fingers brushed for a brief second and a strange not-at-all ordinary expression crossed his face when we did. Looking into his eyes, I saw a bit of sadness and something else that faded away as soon as I recognized them. I didn't say anything as I wrapped the peculiar chain around the ring.

I stuffed my fans back into bag since they couldn't fit into my pocket with the staff and stood up; I winced a bit when pain shot through my right arm, reminding me of the cut there created not so long ago. Hibari noticed it too and took out a handkerchief (Who knew he actually kept one?) from his pants pocket and tied it around my wound.

"Get that treated later." He said as he started to walk. I followed him though I kept a fair good distance between us.

Looking at his back, I noticed that he was taller, leaner and more muscular and that his killing aura was more sinister than before, as if it had increased tenfold. His raven-colored hair was also cropped shorter but he was still pretty much the same head of the Disciplinary Committee that I knew.

It just seemed like he had… aged. That was the only way to put it.

No wonder he had a more mature air around him.

He suddenly looked back at me and I turned a light shade of red, embarrassed at having been caught staring at him. I looked down at my feet.

"Hurry up." He said impatiently. I nodded and jogged up to his side, still keeping a good distance between us. He snorted.

"Are you afraid that I'll eat you?" he said sarcastically. I glared at him.

"No. I thought you hated crowds? Or has aging actually softened you a bit?" I shot back. He narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing and continued to walk.

I sighed under my breath and decided to ask something- _anything_- just to break the ice between us. It had become increasingly uncomfortable after what I had last said and I kind of wanted to take it back.

"A-Ano, Hibari –san… Am I in the future?" I asked him suddenly.

He stopped in his tracks to look at me, narrowing his eyes at me. I continued to talk.

"Y-You look older and well, the last thing I remembered was walking home on a raining afternoon after school, not walking in the forest in the morning. Could you ex-"I cut myself off as Hibari began to walk away, obviously not interested in what I had to say. I clenched my fists on my sides.

Despite the fatigue that I felt when I released my flames without control a while ago, I still found the strength to actually grab Hibari's arm and make him stop walking.

He glared at me now, animosity rolling off from him and I was pretty sure he was going to kill me but I could have cared less. The fear and confusion had accumulated and now I couldn't restrain myself from shouting at him.

"Look! I'm sorry you had to be the one to find me and be the one to save me and be a burden but that's not my fault. I never wanted to be here anyway! I never wanted to be saved by you and I most certainly didn't want to be attacked by a bunch of those men for no reason at all. You could leave me here and pretend that you never saw me but the thing is, I have no idea where I am, when this is and how the hell I can go back home! So if you would be as kind as to explain my current situation I promise I'll never bother you again. Ever. I just need to know where I'm standing on so I can make sense of everything and actually think of something." I ranted.

It was a habit of mine to just rant on endlessly whenever I was gripped by powerful emotions. Like excitement, anger, sadness and fear, I had to express them. I had to do something that will tire me either physically or emotionally to extinguish those emotions within me. Hibari must have known at some point as he quietly and patiently waited to let me finish talking before he spoke. It was just one sentence that provided neither comfort nor any sort of explanation and he never spoke again during the duration of our walk.

"Asking me to explain that isn't one of the things you of this era told me to do as I'm going to train you." Hibari said smoothly. My hands fell away from their grasp on Hibari's arm and he started to walk away. I followed behind slowly.

_Train me?_ I thought uncertainly as I glanced at Hibari's back. I sighed under my breath, annoyed that he wasn't making any sense at all but partly relieved having gotten the fear off my chest.

Although he was irritating me at the moment with his antisocial ways, it was kind of comforting to know that at least _he_ was still in his own regularity. And by regular, I mean his normal cold, antisocial bloodthirsty self.

I thought of asking more questions but decided to hold my tongue until we got to wherever we had to go to.

After all, pissing him off wouldn't be a very good idea-not with the killing intent he was restraining within himself increased tenfold.

"Eh? Reborn? Why did you call us here?" Tsuna asked as he sat down on the chair in the Operations Room followed by Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato who had just recovered from their previous fight with Lightning Gamma of the Millefiore. They took their respective seats on either sides of Tsuna.

At the moment, Giannini, Reborn, Bianchi, Fuuta and Lal Mirch were also in the room, waiting expectantly for Giannini to say something. He was typing on the keyboard, eyes glued to the screen of his monitor. After a few minutes of tense silence, he finally spoke.

"Hibari-san has successfully been able to locate her whereabouts, Reborn-san, and is now walking with her towards the Operations Room." Giannini said with a sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in thanks. The others seemed to also have relaxed, save for Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto who all looked confused.

"What's going on? Who has arrived?" Tsuna asked as he looked from Reborn's face to Lal's.

"We have a new member joining us, Sawada." Lal said simply, arms folded across her chest.

"A new member? Who is it?" Yamamoto asked cheerfully.

"I don't care who it is as long as she can serve the Juudaime well." Gokudera said in a tone of indifference. Tsuna looked nervous and Yamamoto just laughed.

"Gokudera… I don't think that's the case here..." Tsuna said nervously.

Just then, the door slid open, revealing a very irritated and disgruntled Hibari Kyouya in his black coat with a purple shirt underneath. Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera twisted around in their seats to look at him. He frowned when he saw the number of people in the Operations Room.

"I came to drop her off here although she'll be staying in my base. I'll get her later." Hibari said and turned around to leave again. As he moved, he revealed a young girl of about Tsuna's age standing behind him, one hand clutching a book bag and a violin case while the other keeping a tight hold on the hem of Hibari's coat. He stopped in mid-step when she wouldn't let go.

The girl was tall, maybe an inch or two taller than Tsuna but still shorter than Yamamoto. She had dark brown hair, a shade darker than Tsuna's and equally dark brown eyes.

Eyes that showed fear, uncertainty, and wide-eyed surprise, Tsuna mentally noted.

He immediately felt pity for her. She looked vulnerable and the pleading look she gave Hibari not to leave her there was noticeable. Carefully, Hibari pried off her grasp from his coat and his expression softened a bit. Putting his hand on her head for a brief second, he managed to calm her down and he left, the door sliding close behind him. Her gaze remained on the door Hibari had just left until Yamamoto spoke.

"Sakura-chan! I didn't know you were here too." Yamamoto said in a surprised tone. He stood up, approached her and patted her back, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up at him, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yamamoto-kun?" she murmured. Looking around the room, she seemed to find a few familiar faces in the room and the nervous look she wore slightly ebbed.

"Tsunayoshi-san? Gokudera-san?" she asked, looking at Tsuna and the fuming Gokudera. Then she transferred her gaze to Reborn.

"Okambo…" She murmured. Reborn smiled at her.

"Ciaossu!" he greeted her. She smiled back faintly.

"Ano, who are you?" Tsuna asked confusedly. He felt that he had seen her somewhere before but couldn't exactly remember where it was.

Reborn, jumping up from his seat, landed on Tsuna's head, hitting his head with a loud smack on the table.

"Reborn!" Tsuna protested, rubbing his nose.

"Dame-Tsuna, don't you recognize her? She's one of the smartest students in your class." Reborn said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Eh? She's my classmate?" Tsuna asked. Yamamoto laughed.

"Ahahaha! You probably don't recognize her because you rarely talk, Tsuna. Her name's Hitako Sakura. Gokudera is familiar with her. She's also a member of the soccer team and she plays the violin. I've played with her a couple of times and she plays really great! She even beat Gokudera once." Yamamoto said cheerfully.

"Konichiwa, minna!" she said, bowing, affected by Yamamoto's easy-going nature.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Gokudera said angrily, standing up and jabbing a finger at her direction.

"It's just as Lal had said. She's joining us. She's now part of the Vongola family." Reborn said.

"Hiiiieee!! Reborn! You can't go dragging people into this. She doesn't even know what she's getting into." Tsuna said in a panicked voice.

"Quiet, Sawada! You can't do anything about it now. She's here which means she'll have to train with you guys and defeat Byakuran if she wants to go home. She was sent here for a purpose." Lal said in a stern voice. Tsuna immediately quieted down but looked at Sakura nervously. She stared back at him with fathomless eyes

_I-I can't read her emotions! _Tsuna thought as he looked into her dark orbs that seemed to be empty at the moment. . Her expression was stoic. She radiated neither fear, anger nor any kind of expression. She just seemed to accept it.

"A-Ano, I hate to be a bother but could anyone explain to me what's going on? You guys have been missing for weeks now, three weeks to be exact, and then I just suddenly find myself with all you here…" she trailed off uncertainly, looking at Tsuna.

"Aa…W-Well, you're actually in the future now." Tsuna said as bluntly as he could.

"I know. Just looking at Hibari should be pretty obvious." She replied, not even batting an eyelash.

Everyone stared at her except for Lal, Bianchi and Reborn.

"I know all about your involvement with the Mafia, how you're going to be the tenth generation boss of the Vongola family and that the kid in the black suit is your tutor, weird as that may sound. I was also told of the different flame attributes, the different types of rings required to produce the flames and the strength of the Vongola rings." She told them. Reborn smirked.

"Dino must have found her and trained her." he said.

"Eh? Dino-san?" Tsuna asked, confused.

"I was going to call her out to join the family before we went to the future but maybe our disappearance alerted the Ninth and so he called her out instead." Reborn explained.

"Actually, it wasn't Dino but my self-professed half cousin from Italy, Faye Carmine. They gave me some sort of assessment that involved some deadly trials by the Varia, led by Faye and once that they had ascertained that I was good enough, they trained for a mere one day only before I got sent here." Sakura said.

"The Varia?!" Tsuna said in surprise.

"Yes. Now please explain the current situation here, how far this is in the future and how we're supposed to get back." Sakura said, taking a seat beside Yamamoto.

"Have you found any trace of the flame reading yet from a while ago?" Irie Shouichi asked his female subordinates- the Cervello- as they typed furiously on the keyboard.

"Negative, Irie-sama. We couldn't find any trace of it after it disappeared in the Namimori forest." One of them replied. Shouichi slammed his fists on his desk.

"Damn it! There was no way they couldn't have gotten far. How about that report on the Black Spell that was attacked?" he said, turning his attention to the other who was also typing away on the keyboard.

"He reported that he had seen a silver flame emit from her ring but couldn't be too sure. It might have been just an illusion but they had been previously chasing the only guardian who could emit silver flames." She replied. Shouichi clenched his fists before suddenly clutching his stomach, a sign that he was having a stomachache. Taking a deep breath, he calmed down before pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I see. Then we'll just have to assume that she from ten years ago is here too, as her only ring in this era has been destroyed." He said. "Get Byakuran-san on the line. We need to report this to him." He ordered.

In an instant, on the large screen before him, a man with white spiky hair and sharp violet eyes appeared. He was smiling as he popped a marshmallow in his mouth.

"Oya, Shou-chan! Do you have something interesting to report?" Byakuran asked, as he leaned back on the couch he sat on, comfortably munching on marshmallows.

"Byakuran-san, we have credible information that Hitako Sakura of ten years ago is here now in this era though her whereabouts within Namimori are currently unknown." he reported. Byakuran's eyes slightly widened before a larger smile took over his voice.

"Hontoni? Sa'ra-chan's here?" Byakuran asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat.

"We are merely speculating, Byakuran-san, but we do have reason to believe of her presence here in Namimori."

"I understand. But find her for me; will you, Shou-chan? I really want to see her again." Byakuran said as he leaned back in his seat.

"I will, Byakuran-san." he said before Byakuran disconnected, the screen turning back to black.

"Continue to patrol the forest and the streets of Namimori. We need to find her as soon as possible." Shouichi ordered in a stern voice.

"Hai, Irie-sama." The Cervellos answered and returned back to the computers. Shouichi walked out of the room at a brisk pace, his face serious and stoic. Once the doors slid close behind him, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief.

_Sakura-chan… I hope you're safe wherever you are. Please don't let them find you._ He though silently to himself.

I'm really sorry for the late update! I was kind of busy this week so I couldn't type in an update. I'm really sorry! Please leave a review. Just click the line that says 'Review this story.'

Anyway, thank you for the time you took to review this story! I really appreciate it. I hope it didn't suck as much as the other. My creative juice has already been depleted when I wrote this. Constructive criticisms are very much welcome!

Have a great day/ night!


	10. A New Guardian Emerges

I'm too lazy to say anything as no one really reviewed except for **EvilBoyzR2Cute, omgpink **and** music fans. **Thanks for all those who read my story!

By the way, I was already losing my idea for this chapter so it's okay if you don't want to continue reading or flame me after this epic failure of a chapter.

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

------------I have to come up with some sort of line breaker since the usual won't work.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 10: A New Guardian Emerges

"Well, that's the most of it, I guess." Tsuna said, scratching his head as he finished explaining their current situation to me. I stared at the tabletop in silence, my hands on my lap.

It had been approximately an hour since I arrived and I was mostly surprised by the shocking story Tsuna told me. I had never thought of him to be something short of a coward and finding out about what he was facing right now and that he carried the responsibility of the safety of everyone in the base made me realize just how deep his love for his family, the Vongola, and everyone in the base was.

I really admire him now.

He was able to change himself from the pathetic Dame-Tsuna that I once knew into a man worthy of anyone's respect.

I really wanted to be like him. To be strong for the people who needed you the most, that was the noblest thing a person could ever do.

I continued to stare at the table for a couple of seconds, trying to absorb it all before I spoke.

"I understand. Then unless we defeat Byakuran, we won't be able to return home. And since you're in charge and there's no way for me to back out, I'll be under your command." I told him finally as I looked up. Tsuna released a sigh of relief and leaned back into his seat. "I'll do whatever I can to help you guys." I added firmly.

"A-Ano… Hitako-san-" Tsuna stuttered, looking at me guiltily.

"Sawada-san, please call me Sakura-chan instead. After all, you are my boss now, right?" I told him with a smile. He smiled back albeit a bit nervously.

"A-Ah… Sakura-chan then. I'm really sorry for involving you here." He apologized. I shook my head.

"It's not you're fault, Sawada-san. It's fate. Besides, I could have a whole new experience from this!" I told him cheerfully.

"E-Eh? You don't feel sad? Angry? Scared?" He asked confusedly. I shook my head.

"Not at all. This is totally out of the ordinary and I don't know what to make of it so let's just say that for now, I'm perfectly fine with this." I reassured him.

"Sakura, you did say that you have a ring, right?" Reborn asked from his seat, sitting with his legs crossed. Turning my attention to him, I nodded and took off the ring, handing it to him. Taking it in his small hands, his onyx eyes looked at it carefully, turning it around in the light. After his examination, he tossed it back to me. I caught it in my hand before slipping it back on.

"The ring is real and authentic. She's one of your guardians, Tsuna." Reborn said with confidence, looking at me.

"Eh? I thought you said that there were only seven guardians." Tsuna asked.

"There are, officially. The eighth is just a useless guardian. The presence of that guardian has never been needed before there has only been one in the whole Vongola history." Reborn said.

"Only one?" Tsuna asked. Reborn nodded.

"Aa. No one could light the ring that was forged by the eighth guardian of the Primo family so it had been forgotten by time and history, only to be passed on to the descendants of the eighth guardian and had been kept as a secret ever since. It was rumored that only people from the lineage of that guardian had the flame that could light that ring so it's possible that Sakura is a descendant." Reborn explained.

"That's amazing, Sakura-chan!" Yamamoto said, putting his hands behind his head.

"But Reborn-san, what's her attribute?" Gokudera asked.

"The howling wind that guides the family in times of crisis. She is the guardian of the wind." Reborn said.

"Eh? Wind?" Tsuna said, confused.

"She is the restlessly persistent force that pushes the adversaries back with her might. The guardian of the wind essentially has the 'support' factor, strengthening the abilities of the seven attributes." Reborn explained.

"Ahahaha! That sounds just like Sakura-chan. She does like to help people." Yamamoto said.

"You mean meddle with other people's business!" Gokudera objected, glaring at me. "Reborn-san, are you sure she's not just a spy from the Millefiore?" he asked, turning to Reborn.

"Gokudera-kun! Sakura-chan is our classmate. Besides, I have a feeling that she's a very kind person." Tsuna said, admonishing him. Gokudera didn't say anything after that.

"Sakura, what weapons did Faye give you?" Reborn asked me.

"A pair of fans." I told him as I brought them out for him to see.

"I see. It was said that they could generate a tornado that could destroy a whole town in a matter of minutes." Reborn said as I took them back.

"Eh? Hontoni?" Tsuna asked with a bit of surprised. "Have you used them before?" he asked me. I nodded.

"I was able to knock down a few trees." I replied.

"Che. You're going to need a lot more than that to beat the Juudaime." Gokudera said confidently from his seat. I let his snide remark pass.

"In any case, welcome to the family, Hitako Sakura." Reborn said, facing me with a smile. I smiled back.

"Arigatou. I promise to train hard and serve the Vongola Decimo faithfully and loyally." I swore.

"That's good. We can use your help in the upcoming battle. Your skills as an athlete will be useful in your training." Reborn said as he jumped off his seat. "Go to the training room tomorrow with Tsuna and the others. You should rest for now in Hibari's base. He's waiting for you there." Reborn added as he left the room, Bianchi walking after him.

"Hai!" I replied.

"Eh? You're staying at Hibari-san's base?" Tsuna asked me, surprised. I nodded and smiled a bit.

"Yeah. That's what he said a while ago before he left." I replied. My hold on my bag and my violin case tightened a bit.

I was nervous to the very pit of my stomach. Though the Hibari of this era seemed nicer and more mature than the Hibari I from ten years ago, I still couldn't shake off the feeling that he might attack me the moment I step into the room. And with the increase in Hibari's fighting prowess, there was absolutely no way I could even evade his attacks now.

Standing up, I bid them goodbye-promising to eat dinner with them later, and proceeded to walk through the maze-like halls of the underground base, my heart throbbing louder in my throat with each step.

------------I have to come up with some sort of line breaker since the usual won't work.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clutching the handles of my bags, I kneeled on a tatami mat in front of the sliding door, my back rigidly straight. Kusakabe Tetsuya had led me to Hibari's part of base that was connected to the Vongola's base. The door slid open, revealing Kusakabe behind the door and Hibari, sitting cross-legged on the tatami mats inside, wearing a black yukata, and silently drinking tea.

"Kyo-san would like to see you now." Kusakabe said in an ominously grim voice as I stood up and walked inside. I stopped in front of Hibari, a meter from his seat and sat down myself, imitating him. Kusakabe left the room once I had seated myself.

Hibari was silent, sipping his tea every now and then but his eyes were focused on me, as if silently appraising me. Self-consciously, I didn't make eye contact and looked around the room, noting the possible escape routes I could use if he suddenly attacked me though I was already doubting that that was his intent.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hibari spoke.

"Why won't you look at me in the eyes?" he asked silently, setting down his cup of tea. I looked at him, and then at my hands on my lap.

"U-Um… I think it's impolite." I replied, stuttering a bit. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Talking to someone requires eye contact."

"We're not exactly talking, are we?"

"We are now and yet you still won't look at me. Are you afraid?"

"No. Why should I be?"

"Then look at me." He ordered. I didn't reply nor did I look up from my hands. That was until he walked over to where I sat and bent down until we were eye-level and used a finger under my chin to tilt my head up.

I gulped when our eyes met. He repeated his question before.

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked again. This time, I could detect a slight hint of hurt in his voice. My face felt warm at out close proximity and I wanted to move away but it felt like his touch had frozen me. I took care to breathe slowly.

"I don't know." I said softly, trying my best to avoid his penetrating gaze. With a sigh, he let go and sat in front of me. He eyed my violin case and my book bag with narrowed eyes.

"You should keep those somewhere safe until you return to your time." He said. I nodded listlessly, still averting my eyes from his by staring at nothing.

After a few more moments of silence, he spoke again.

"Are you really not going to answer my question?" he asked.

'Why do you keep on asking me that?"

"Answer it. I want to know."

I grimaced at his persistence but I was secretly thankful that he hadn't threatened to bite me to death. The old Hibari would have. At the thought, a painful pang went through my heart and I realized that I missed him.

That was strange by itself. To miss someone that had always inflicted physical pain on my person, it was really strange of me.

And yet as soon as I felt it, it was gone the moment I looked into Hibari's eyes. The Hibari of this era, ten years into the future.

"I… can't look into your eyes because I think like you're another person. But when I look into your eyes… I feel like you _are_ the Hibari I know, ten years ago." I told him finally, slowly. I let myself stare at him now, noting the change in his usually cold and stoic expression.

"Stupid herbivore. I told you already. I am Hibari. Fight me if you don't believe me." He said, smirking. I shook my head immediately, waving my hands.

"That's not necessary! I believe you. It's just that it's still too unbelievable to absorb." I told him. He smirked again and then stood up. He extended one hand towards me as he did. I looked at it dumbly for a few seconds.

"Take it or I'm going to leave you." He said impatiently. I blinked at him. "Take it." He growled when I still wouldn't. "I won't attack you." He added. I took his hand then and he pulled me up. He also took my bags from my hand. I didn't protest.

Not even when he took my hand as we walked through the empty hallways of his base.

------------I have to come up with some sort of line breaker since the usual won't work.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This will be your room for now." He said, placing my bags on a table as we entered a room just a few doors away from his.

I nodded and looked around the room. It was simple and plain. No other ornaments decorated the room, save for a bed, a chair, a shelf filled with books on one corner and a desk where a laptop resided and with folders and papers filed neatly on top. A closet was in another corner of the room.

I shifted my attention to the bed. It was strangely a bit bigger than an ordinary one, like it was meant for two people to sleep on instead of one. The bed sheet was a checkered blue that matched with the blanket and a pillow decorated with fading embroidery of flowers. It looked strangely like my favorite pillow back at home.

Stepping towards the bed, I sat down and reached for the pillow, hugging it close to me. It had a faint scent of home and I felt comforted. I buried my face in the pillow and only looked up when I felt the mattress sink beside me as Hibari sat down.

"This was your room when you were here. You often complained that you always seemed to lack time or to forget to decorate this room." He said. I looked at him questioningly.

"Didn't I stay with Sawada-san and the others?" I asked him.

"No. You preferred to be with me."

I stared at him, my eyes widening in surprise at his response.

"Eh? Really? Why?" I asked. He stared at me, as if he expected me to know the answer. When I didn't say anything else, only to look at him expectantly, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You really have no idea?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Then it's better for you not to know." He said and stood up to leave. Out of impulse, I grabbed his hand and held it. He turned to look at me, anger glittering in his eyes. I gulped mentally.

"I want to know!" I told him persistently. My mouth was set in a firm line and I held his hand in a tight grip. He made no move to pry it off though- which I'm sure he could have- but he stared at me with an odd expression. It was somewhere along the line of longing and sadness. He looked away from my eyes.

"Iie. It's better if you don't know. That way, you won't have to think about it and it won't interfere with your training. I'll allow you to rest for today. Tomorrow, you'll be coming to train with me and Sawada Tsunayoshi. Am I understood?" he said sternly. I nodded and let go of his hand.

"Do your duty as the Vongola Wind Guradian. I cannot allow you to be distracted by trivial things. Focus on your training." He said before he left, his yukata flapping gently behind him. I sighed when the door closed behind him and lay down on the bed, my arms stretched out at my sides.

I really didn't get him.

One minute, he was acting the cold Hibari that I knew and the next, he was like an affectionate person. Or his version of it anyway.

I snorted at the thought of him being affectionate.

Staring at the ceiling, I closed my eyes and wondered vaguely about why my future self had stayed here with Hibari in the first place before I fell asleep.

------------I have to come up with some sort of line breaker since the usual won't work.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hibari leaned against the wall outside Sakura's room. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled to himself wryly.

"She doesn't know?" Reborn asked, standing a few feet away from him. Hibari inclined his head towards him and stood up from his leaning position.

"No. It would be beneficial for her training if she doesn't. The Wind Guardian tends to be easily distracted from the happenings around her." Hibari replied.

"I see. But she will never be able to understand why you act that way."

Hibari started to walk towards him. "That won't matter. Her only purpose here is to defeat Byakuran. I don't intend for her to find out such trivial matters."

"You're sacrificing the time you have left with her. She may not know but you do."

"That doesn't matter, okambo." Hibari said as he disappeared down a corner of the hallway. Reborn looked at the door of Sakura's room for a few seconds, an unreadable expression on his face.

"The Wind Guardian... She must be fit for the job no matter what happens." He said to himself as walked on.

------------I have to come up with some sort of line breaker since the usual won't work.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was wondering if I should continue writing or not. Our school is about to start soon and I was thinking that I may not have time to continue writing this so I may discontinue but if anyone objects, I may still continue but expect slower updates. Please tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading the story!


	11. Torture Objective: Draw Out the Flame

Hello, there! Turns out I will have to continue this story but I may take a lot longer to update as long as I don't have school requirements or any tests interfering. Thanks very much to those who read my previous chapter and to **omgpink, EvilBoyzR2Cute, musicfans, Aoi Kazuya, Azulish, kimmay94, dJAmystery, , Rya-chan X Shii-chan, Kanra-chan, Azalie-Kauriu** who left me a review and their response to my previous question! Thanks very much for your support! I wouldn't know how to write if you guys didn't give me your reviews! Thank you very much!

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

-The line breaker still isn't working.-

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 11: Torture Objective: Draw Out the Flame

I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I pulled on jeans and a simple shirt- something I dug out from the dark confines of the closet in my room. Coincidentally, I also found other clothes that were surprisingly my size and necessities stashed away in the bottom drawer of the closet.

It was almost as if my future-self had anticipated this.

I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I combed through my wet hair- fresh from a bath.

I had spent the better part of yesterday hanging out with Kyoko and Haru- both who seemed happy to see me- as Kyoko had introduced me to her rather eccentric and chatty friend, seeing as we had never met. I helped with their kitchen duties and asked occasional questions about the base and the people in it, what their sentiments were and how they found life in an underground base.

I mostly found out that Giannini was the Vongola technician who had created the base, the security and was- like his title proclaimed- indeed in charge of all the technical things within the Vongola and pretty much adored Tsuna. Fuuta, who was the Prince of Ranking, also maintained things in the base plus babysitting Lambo and I-pin. He had been also in Tsuna's care ten years into the past. Bianchi, who was Gokudera-kun's older sister, kept the girls company, helped with the household chores and basically acted as a mom to Kyoko and Haru.

Aside from that, I also found out that they didn't have a clue about their real reason for being here and their current involvement with the Mafia. Although I thought I should tell them the truth, I felt that it would be better if they didn't know, as Tsuna had carefully kept the truth from them.

I sighed as I picked up my fans, slipped on my ring and pocketed the small box I got yesterday. Lal Mirch had explained to me yesterday before bed that the box contained a weapon that had been specially made for me. It required a certain amount of my silver flame to be inserted in the box for me to open it. Though I was curious, I waited until today to open my box weapon.

I left my room and proceeded to the training room that Lal showed me yesterday where she told me I would train.

I didn't bother to ask permission from Hibari to train since I had a feeling that he would know anyway. Besides, he didn't want to be disturbed, as far as I could tell.

Taking the elevator to the sixth floor, I had a sudden feeling of premonition that things today wouldn't go as smoothly as it had when Faye and Dino first trained me. Not that I expected whoever was going to train me to go easy on me, I felt that somehow, today, I would really get a feel of the reality of our current situation. I clutched my fans in each hand, anticipating muscle aches and the fear for my life pounded into me later.

The elevator opened and I entered the first door on the floor. Gokudera and Yamamoto greeted me as I entered.

"Yo, Sakura-chan! Ohayo!" Yamamoto greeted me with a bright grin. I smiled back, feeling it impossible to feel morbid and brooding in front of his cheery attitude.

"Ohayo, Yamamoto-kun! Gokudera-kun!" I greeted them both with a bow.

"Che. You better not be a burden to the Juudaime, woman. I won't let you drag him down." He said indifferently. My smile dimmed a bit but it stayed on. I could bear with his insults as long as it didn't go below the belt.

"Don't worry, Gokudera-kun. I carry my own weight fine. I'm essentially a hard-working person so you don't need to snap at me." I replied. The door slid open just then, revealing Tsuna as he walked in.

"You three!" he said in surprise, when he saw the three of us standing at full attention.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted him, smiling.

"Ohayo, Sawada-san!" I greeted him next, bowing.

"Ohayo, Juudaime!" Gokudera said last.

"Ohayo, minna!" Tsuna greeted all of us. He turned to look at me. "Sakura-chan, please call Tsuna instead." He said.

"Hai, Tsuna-kun!" I replied, smiling.

He turned next to Gokudera and Yamamoto. "Have your injuries healed yet?" he asked them worriedly.

"We're getting back to training starting from today." Yamamoto informed Tsuna.

"Totally!" Gokudera agreed enthusiastically. "I was starting to worry that we were getting out of touch." He added.

"Really? That's great!" Tsuna said, smiling. We turned to Reborn and Lal Mirch in front of us when we heard them speak.

"All four are present then." Lal Mirch said, her arms folded over her chest. I dropped my smile and started to get serious. My stomach twisted in nervous knots. She continued to speak, explaining our training for that day.

"As I've mentioned, you'll all be starting a new training course today." She started her face in a serious mask. "It's called the 'Individual Training Assault Program'."

"Individual training…?" Tsuna repeated to himself.

"Just like Tsuna's been receiving one-on-one training from Lal Mirch these past ten days, you'll each get your own home tutor to train you, same as during the ring battle." Reborn explained in detail. His hand lifted up to where Leon sat on his head and Leon transformed into a green gun. "For example, "he continued, as he held the gun, "I'll be training Yamamoto." He said, facing him.

Yamamoto's eyes widened in surprise as he pointed to himself. "Is- Is that all right?" he asked, smiling doubtfully. Tsuna panicked.

"Eh? Reborn's training Yamamoto?" he said in a panicked voice. Then a new voice spoke from behind us.

"I will be in charge of Hayato." Bianchi said as we turned to look at her.

"Bianchi!" Tsuna screamed as Gokudera fainted to the floor. "G-Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said, concerned as he did.

"T-This must be a joke…" Gokudera muttered as he tried to stand up. I looked at him curiously. He looked sick as if seeing Bianchi was some sort of evil curse put on him that made him like that. I shifted my attention to Bianchi as her ring lit up with a red storm flame.

"Since we're siblings, it's unsurprising that the strongest attribute of my wave energy is also storm." She said, as we all looked at her for an explanation. "If you manage to complete your training successfully, I have something to award you." Bianchi added mysteriously. "Something from father."

Gokudera looked up at her in surprise when she mentioned 'father' but upon seeing her face, he fainted once again.

"This is not working at all!" Tsuna protested, looking at Gokudera's inert form. "We better stop this now!" he added, his concern for Gokudera's fainting spells rising. No one listened. Reborn cocked his gun and aimed it at Tsuna's forehead.

"You should devote yourself to your own training." Reborn said as he pulled the trigger. Tsuna suddenly fell back as the bullet hit his forehead bulls-eye.

"Oi! Tsuna." Yamamoto called to him in concern. I stayed quiet, silently observing the unfolding events.

I had expected him to pass out, not knowing what the bullet Reborn shot him with was, but to my surprise, an orange flame appeared on his forehead and his gloves, which he had donned upon entry to the training room, morphed into black ones with a large cross mark on top, lit up also in an orange flame. It was large and its intensity was also admirable. I looked at his flame with and awe and envy, wishing, again, that I could be as strong as he was.

Gokudera, Yamamoto and I stared with widened eyes at the strength and power Tsuna's flames emitted. I clutched my fans tighter to my sides.

It seemed that I had a lot to catch up on.

"That's incredible, Juudaime!" Gokudera said in awe and admiration after having recovered himself. "The intensity has increased even more!"

"You're like a totally different person!" Yamamoto added with the same tone of amazement. "You've improved leaps and bounds ahead of us again."

Using his flames as thrusts, Tsuna flew up into the air and landed in front of Lal Mirch.

"Shall we begin, Lal Mirch?" Tsuna said in a completely monotone voice. I stared at him in surprise, silently appraising the change in his attitude. He seemed much more… calm. His usually chocolate-colored eyes were now tinged in orange, his expression the perfect imitation of a poker face. I began to surmise that the bullet Reborn shot him must have somehow drawn out the immense power hidden within the otherwise coward and soft Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Lal Mirch's reponse surprised both him and me.

"I'm no longer training you." She said bluntly, without a hint of hesitation. Tsuna's eyes slightly widened. She continued to speak.

"You have not attained the level I expected of you at all," she said, her voice blunt and serious, "I've realized that you will not be able to improve as much as I'd hoped for in such a short time."

"But, this really is all I have." Tsuna objected.

"You're power is far greater than this!" Lal said. Just then, I turned my head to my left where a rolling purple ball suddenly came, flying out of nowhere. I jumped away to avoid in time and it headed straight for Tsuna. I tried to warn him.

"Tsuna! Watch out." I yelled. Looking at where I had shouted, he saw the rolling purple ball flying at him and he used his gloves to fly up in the air onto the wall to avoid collision. The ball suddenly flew up as Tsuna did. Stretching his arms from his sides in front of him, the flames on Tsuna's hands grew bigger in an attempt to stop it from crushing him. A loud explosion occurred and a sudden spectrum of light blinded me. I raised my arm to cover my eyes. When I opened them, I saw that the rolling purple ball was actually a spiked ball.

Tsuna, with his arms outstretched, his palms open, generating flames to push away the spiked ball, widened his eyes in surprise the same time I whipped my head around at the sound of heels clicking against the concrete floor- supposedly where the attack came from.

"Hibari…" I murmured in surprise, my eyes widening in both surprise and recognition.

"If you don't pay attention, you will die." Hibari said simply, as he watched Tsuna struggle with the spiked ball from above.

"It's you!" Tsuna said in surprise.

"I'm going to pry open all of your abilities." Hibari said in a monotone voice.

"Hibari-san! What are you trying to do? You'll kill him." I yelled at Hibari. He didn't even turn his head as so much to acknowledge me or my outburst. I watched as Tsuna struggled with the spiked ball.

"Exactly as the baby said," Hibari told him as he observed Tsuna's futile struggles, "This level of power is a far cry from your future self." Tsuna forced more of his dying will flame to come out. A trickled of sweat rolled down to my chin, my hands trembling as I watched.

Everyone watched, frozen and horrified as Tsuna fought against it. Then, all of a sudden, the purpled cloud-like substance that surrounded him and the ball began to freeze, turning into ice as he said, "Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition!"

Yamamoto and Gokudera cheered.

"It's that move!" Yamamoto said with relief and confidence.

"Way to go, Juudaime!" Gokudera said, his eyes shining with admiration.

I shook my head. I had a bad feeling about this.

"No!" Lal shouted in objection, "It's not over yet!" Tsuna looked at his side as the purple cloud-like substance started to spread over him, faster than before. It had almost enveloped him.

"Tsuna! Get out of there! You're going to be eaten up and locked if that turns into a ball." I yelled at him in vain.

"The clouds are multiplying!" Lal said in alarm. His other hand tried to freeze the purple cloud-like substance at his sides but it was multiplying too fast for him to catch up.

"Tsuna!" I yelled as he was completely enveloped by the purple clouds. "No…" I muttered in vain as the ball fell to the floor with a loud thud. We all looked at the huge, purple, spiked ball with identical faces of horror save for Reborn and Hibari. Hibari's ring shattered on his finger at the same time.

"T-Tsuna!"

"Juudaime!"

Yamamoto and Gokudera spoke in alarm simultaneously. I looked down at the floor, clenching my teeth in anger.

"It's the globe of needles form." Hibari said casually, "It's an airtight sphere molded with cloud flames, making it completely impervious. It's impossible for him to break through the sphere with either physical strength or his flames." He added. Walking towards the globe of needles, he put one hand against it and spoke.

"It's airtight so the oxygen within the sphere is limited." Hibari said, speaking to Tsuna. Then he added in the inevitable.

"If you don't get out quickly, you'll die."

I paled at his words.

Gokudera was the first to speak.

"Are you insane?" he told him, his tone and face livid, "You think you can just show up ten days later and try to kill Juudaime? Let him out now!" he ordered.

Hibari looked at him with a smirk.

"The weak will be killed, that's a given." He replied, again, in a casual tone. "To begin with, even if I have a reason to kill Sawada Tsunayoshi, there is no reason why I should let him live."

Reborn then spoke, intervening.

"Then we should begin our training too." He said. Gokudera looked at him, his eyes worried and frantic.

"W-Wait a minute, Reborn-san!" He protested, "If we don't stop this, the boss will…"

"Hibari is serious." Yamamoto said nervously.

"I know he is. That's why it must be Hibari." Reborn said in a matter-of-factly tone. He went on to explain. "Every generation, the boss must overcome the Vongola trial. The trial cannot be compromised so a genuine threat is necessary." He said.

We all looked at Reborn with nervous apprehension. Bianchi then approached Gokudera and took him by the shoulders.

"Ok," she told him, "we should get started too." Just as I expected, Gokudera fainted again and Bianchi sighed.

"What do I do with this child…" she said.

"G-Gokudera-kun!" Yamamoto said in surprised concern when he saw him faint. Reborn started to walk towards the door.

"Yamamoto, I'm going to change first. Meet me in basement ten." Reborn instructed as he left.

"Matte! Reborn-san. Who am I going to train with?" I asked him before he left.

"Hibari's going to train you. He's making an exception for both you and Tsuna as he knows you best." Reborn said before the door slid close behind him. Bianchi carried off the unconscious Gokudera and Yamamoto followed Reborn with an inconspicuous good luck to me. I sighed and faced the purple ball that held Tsuna prison.

Hibari looked at his pocket watch expectantly.

The only ones that were left in the room were Hibari, Kusakabe Tetsuya behind him, the ball that contained Tsuna and Lal Mirch.

Hibari yawned, Hibird tweeting from its perch on his finger.

I gulped when Hibari suddenly looked at me. I took an unconscious step back.

"It's time for your training now." He said with a deadly tone as he slipped on another ring. I raised my fans in a defensive position. His ring lit in a purple flame and he inserted it in one of his purple box weapons. A pair of tonfas covered in purple flames shot out.

"Now," he said as he walked towards me in a leisurely pace, "show me your resolution."

-The line breaker still isn't working.-

_Hibari's POV_

Hibari slammed his tonfa against Sakura and he watched her fly until she hit the concrete wall. She dropped to her knees but struggled to stand up. Wincing from the unexpected impact, she raised her fans, her arms at her, and started to run towards him again.

_Pathetic,_ he thought, as he watched her charge. He raised his tonfas, ready to deflect her attack but before they met, she jumped high into the air and waved her fans once, generating a gust of wind that would have taken a normal person out.

Too bad he wasn't normal.

He merely raised his purple-flame coated tonfas to dissipate the tornado and once he had accomplished that, jumped up while she was still airborne and kneed her stomach.

She coughed but was too slow to retaliate.

He swung his tonfa and hit her square on her back and she fell with a large impact on the ground, face-first.

He wanted her to stand up, to tell her to stand up, but he could not.

Such feelings of love and concern weren't needed on the battlefield. It wasn't worth his time to waste over those feelings. Though he admitted to himself that he should have thought of a gentler way to teach her, that if he could have just told her what she needed to know, then he wouldn't have to go through this with her.

But only weak herbivores learned that way and from experience with her future self, expending her kindness would only weaken her resolve.

And he had no use for the weak.

Besides, he couldn't be around her all the time to ensure her safety. That was the essential part in making her go through this. To make her trust herself and resolve more, to make her stronger for herself and those she so badly wanted to protect. The 'reason for her existence', as her future self called her resolve.

He looked at her distastefully.

She was a far cry, a pathetic excuse, from the woman he had grown to love and treasure.

She rolled over weakly on her back and he saw her glance up at the globe of needles that still held Sawada Tsunayoshi. He paused for a bit as Kusakabe spoke.

"The oxygen is nearly out." Kusakabe reported. "Both his mental and physical states are reaching critical levels."

Finally, Lal spoke.

"This will not achieve anything! He's just going to die in vain." She protested. "Cease this training at once."

"Tsuna…" Sakura muttered weakly. Hibari frowned at her, irritated. He decided to ignore her for the moment, the sight of her so pitiful undeniably sending a painful throb to his heart and faced Lal.

"It was you, wasn't it?" he asked her rhetorically. "You instructed Sawada Tsunayoshi to fight with his ring on his finger. That was the right thing to do. But whether or not he can become the Sawada Tsunayoshi you hope for… He has to be tested under extreme conditions." He glanced at the globe of needles before he spoke again.

"There hasn't been one so young to face the trial in the Vongola history though." He amended. Lal turned her attention to Reborn who had just reappeared, her eyes silent with her own questions.

Hibari looked at Sakura again who was struggling to stand up; one knee bent while to the other was kneeling. She had her ring in front of her, a small flickering flame visible on her ring.

_She hasn't found her resolve yet. _Hibari realized as the small flame flickered unsteadily. He sighed mentally.

_I'll have to push her over the edge._ He thought as he approached her. _She might not forgive me for this but I have no choice. _He put his emotions in check. He couldn't be soft with her now.

She looked up at him when he was near enough. Her eyes brimmed with tears of pain and hate.

Hate for him for being so merciless.

For having her endure such pain and misery and subjecting her into this torture.

In his heart, he knew that he was also hurting himself but he had to this.

For her sake as well as the others, he would hurt her purposefully to draw out her true potential.

Grabbing the collar of her shirt, he lifted her up, one tonfa coated in purple flames near her head, ready to strike.

"You are useless. You lean onto others for support. As independent as you think you are, you are the weakest of them all." He said in a mockingly disgusted tone. "How can you say that you swear to protect the people whom you love when you cannot protect even yourself? This ends here, Hitako Sakura. You are only a liability to all."

At his words, her eyes that had been brimming with the tears she fought to hold back now flowed ceaselessly down her cheeks, soaking a part of the sleeve of his suit.

His cruel words had done their job, hitting home to her weakest spot.

"I don't want to be a burden." She murmured through her tears. "I don't want to depend on anyone. I want to be able to help them. Not the other way around."

"Too late." He said as he swung his tonfa to meet her head.

The globe of needles form cracked open in a blinding light the same moment she disappeared from his clutch.

His tonfa swung at empty air.

"What happened?" Lal asked in alarm. "What's going on?"

Reborn simply looked on forlornly.

"Kyo-san! What is this?" Kusakabe asked, part of his arm raised to cover his face from the light.

"The globe of needles form has been broken." Hibari replied, again, in a monotone voice.

The globe of needles form shattered right before their eyes and with Hibari's attention riveted to it, they didn't see the silver glowing flame, larger than before, above the ensuing chaos.

Only Reborn did.

He looked up at the flame, its wielder flying indistinctly on thin air. He smirked and looked back at the scene before him.

Looking at the collapsed globe of needles form, Sawada Tsunayoshi emerged as the smoke cleared. His gloves were aglow in an iridescent light. The seal of the Vongola was now visibly present on his gloves.

"X-Gloves. Version Vongola Ring." Tsuna muttered his hand beside his face.

Hibari looked up after seeing that Tsuna had somehow survived the Vongola trial and smirked to see Sakura, her fans at her side, glowing with a distinct silver flame. Her face was a mask of utter seriousness, dried tears still present on her cheeks.

"Hmm…" Hibari hummed to himself. Looking from Tsuna to Sakura, he smirked to himself.

Maybe training them both at the same time won't be a complete waste of his time.

-The line breaker still isn't working.-

That's that. I'll try to come up with three or two more chapters before the slow updates start. As if this isn't slow enough. Anyway, thanks for reading this! I really hope to see your reviews, criticisms and whatever you have to say. Please tell me if it's getting too OOC. I really appreciate your reviews. I even accept anonymous reviews. Just please leave one. Flame me if you feel like it.

My classes start on June 9 so I'll try to update as much as possible because as soon as classes start, I'm afraid I won't be able to focus writing here as much. I'm truly sorry.

Thank you for your time, patience and continued support!


	12. Training Hibari Style!

I know what you're going to say if you've been waiting for this and if you actually like this. "Finally! An update."

Yes, an update after more than a month. I've been meaning to finish this chapter but I just can't find the time to. I've been continuously overworked, sleeping in the wee hours of the morning just to finish assignments and get high scores in tests and missing much needed sleep. I still need at least eight hours of sleep.

Anyway, enough of my crap.

I just want to thank you for reading my story and to apologize for the late update. I really am. You know school. Why do we have to be the only school in Asia that starts school in June?

Thanks for sticking with me until now! I deeply appreciate your reading my story! I especially want to thank the following:

**omgpink, EvilBoyzR2Cute, music fans, dJAmystery, Rya-chan X Shii-chan, Kanra-chan, Kairi0403.**

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

-Line breaker still isn't working even after a month of absence.-

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 12: Training Hibari Style!

As I was floating in mid-air, there were about two things that I became sure of:

One, Hibari Kyouya was very intent on killing me.

It goes against the grain to say that I didn't expect this. What, with knowing him for a short period of time, I should have guessed that somehow, sometime later, he would finally be irritated enough to kill me. To end my life as he thought I was just another useless herbivore who took up too much space on earth. The reason wasn't all that important. He just fought and killed for the fun of it.

And we, being somewhat near friends, were not an exception.

Two, I felt somehow betrayed and agonized.

I could not justify the storm of emotions surging through me as he said those words that tore my heart and my being but I can guess that I felt betrayed because I thought he was my friend.

He saved me yesterday.

He led me here, to this base, where I was safe (or so, I thought) and let me stay at his area of the base when he allowed no one else.

He was able to make me feel a bit comfortable about all this craziness and showed me a bit of compassion yesterday.

Didn't that count for something?

And I felt agonized because I thought I meant something to him.

It was a real letdown to know that he thought I was just another stupid useless herbivore who could never earn his respect as another fellow human being.

I felt my heart break at that point, especially when I thought of him as my sometimes savior.

I gritted my teeth, my hold on my fans tightening. As the globe of needle forms exploded before me eyes, so I formed my new resolution. A resolution that shone out brightly against the dark emotions that threatened to consume me.

I wanted to become stronger to be more useful, more effective and more capable to do what I had to do.

That single resolution ignited a passion in me that was hard to extinguish, let alone discourage. I vowed at that moment to overcome my weaknesses and to show Hibari what I was really made of. That I wasn't weak like he thought I was, that I wasn't as useless as he believed I was. At that moment, I felt that I was ready for whatever combat I was about to face in this era.

No one noticed the burning look of determination I now wore in my eyes, their attention currently on Tsuna below me, wearing his new X Gloves: Version Vongola Ring.

"That is…!" Lal exclaimed.

"He's passed." Reborn said solemnly. He cast a look upward and smiled. "It looks like Sakura has found her flame too." He added.

Lal looked up at me too and was taken by surprise at the intensity of the flame emitted by my ring.

"I didn't expect this configuration to result from the trial…" Lal said in silent awe, looking from me to Tsuna.

"I was only half-confident myself." Reborn admitted. "Though in all honesty, I couldn't think of any way to let Tsuna power-up rapidly, other than the traditional way." He looked at Tsuna's new shining gloves before he looked again at my fans aflame in silver flames. "It was the same with Sakura. I couldn't assume how she would react to Hibari's training. She could have broken down completely and would have been another burden." He continued.

"Tsuna, Sakura, very impressive." Reborn said thoughtfully.

As I stared at my ring lit in silver flames, burning with an intensity I could never have mustered if not for the emotional pressure, Tsuna stared at his gloves aflame in orange, a pure flame different from the old.

Together, we both discovered something new in ourselves that we never thought we could possess.

"Wao." Hibari said as he watched the recent development with growing interest. He looked up at me and I stared back, our gazes clashing.

I was sure I wore a stoic look, bearing no emotion whatsoever as he looked up at me while Tsuna examined his newfound flame.

All of a sudden, a strange expression crossed his face for one fleeting moment before it disappeared and reverted back to his usual nonchalance.

It was only very brief and I was sure I imagined it, but it looked something akin to the soft expression he wore when he asked me why I wouldn't look at him yesterday.

I dismissed the thought and focused on Hibari.

I would show him that I was no weakling.

I softly descended to the ground and Tsuna looked up from his gloves. He observed the flame emitted by my fans but I couldn't spare the time to chat with him now.

I had Hibari to deal with.

Hibari's smirk grew when he saw the dead determination in my eyes.

"Wao." He said in an impressed tone. "You two are finally starting to resemble both you that I know. "

Slipping his hand in his pocket, he took out another purple box from his pocket and I vaguely wondered how many he had in store.

"The both of you that thrills me the same way the baby does." He turned to Reborn then.

"Baby," he said in a monotone voice, "From here on, I can do whatever I want, right?"

"Yes…" Reborn replied. "That is what I promised."

"Then," he said as he inserted his purple flames into the box. Tonfas shot out of the box and once he had them in his hands, he continued his sentence in a monotonous voice yet again.

"Let's begin."

We were suddenly hit by a strong wave of killing intent rolling off from Hibari himself.

For the most part, I sensed he was holding back a great deal of power but never imagined something like this. I tried to look like I was unaffected though it could have very well suffocated me.

"There are no rules in this fight." He said. "The only choice you have is to defeat me… or to die."

Hibari then turned to me.

"You first."

He started running towards me faster than I would have imagined. I stayed in place, and watched as he came forward.

I raised my fan that met with his tonfa the exact same moment he did.

Using the other tonfa, he tried to slam it into me from below but I flew backwards with one flick from my other fan that wasn't blocking the tonfa. Running after me, he jumped and flipped into the air oppositely above me and brought down his tonfa only to hit thin air.

I had moved faster than he expected.

Probably because I was numb with a swirling rage of emotion that I was in better control of my flame, I was able to manipulate it according to my will. It was hard, I admit, being new at this, but once I got a good feel of what I was supposed to do and how to control my flame, all I had to do was to concentrate on my goal.

Defeat Hibari Kyouya.

But that proved to be a hard task in itself.

I swung my fans at him, creating huge air waves like knives that could cut but he dodged them anyway. He charged towards me and when I did the same but when we were about to collide, he jumped up with his feet in the air, one tonfa resting on my head that he used as a momentum and slammed the other on my back as he landed.

I was sent flying towards the wall.

He was moving faster than I had been a while ago and it was hard to keep up with his movements. Before I hit the wall, I used my feet to cushion the impact and kicked off the wall towards Hibari again.

His tonfa met with my fan and my other fan pushed against his other tonfa. He smirked at me.

"Too slow." He said, and then pushed me back, breaking our contact before he raised his tonfa to strike. I blocked with one fan, and with the other, I swung it below me and I was sent flying upwards, my back to the ceiling.

I couldn't stand Hibari being too near as there was a higher chance that he'd inflict more damage.

As I was moving away from Hibari, trying to think of a way to sneak up on him, I had not realized that he already snuck up on _me_. It was only too late when I realized that he was behind me as I was scanning the area for his presence that he had already slammed his tonfa on my back when I was about to turn around and deflect. I was sent falling to the ground and was dragged a few meters or so leaving a dent as I did. Turning on my back, I tried to stand up but I felt my consciousness wavering.

"Sakura!" I heard Tsuna say from somewhere above me. I could see the orange flame on his forehead flicker in my blurry view and I felt myself smile faintly at him when everything went black.

-Line breaker still isn't working even after a month of absence.-

I woke up to the sound of conversation floating around me.

"She lasted shorter than I expected her to." A smooth, deep baritone voice said rather impassively with a hint of disappointment.

"She'll learn. You'll just have to pound it into her." A baby voice squeaked.

"Hn. Then I expect her to survive my training."

"She will. It will all be useless if she won't."

My eyes opened slowly and I squinted when a bright glare of light met my eyes.

"It looks like she's awake." Reborn said, as he walked towards me. Adjusting my eyes to the light, I groaned out in pain.

I felt as if I had gone through a stampede of buffalos.

Every inch of my body hurt and I was certain that bruises were starting to form all over my body. Reborn jumped on my bed and kicked me on my side with an unbelievable force no normal baby could possess. It sent flying from the bed, sprawling on the floor.

I sat up; rubbing the sore spot he'd kicked.

Jumping down from the bed to land in front of me, he spoke.

"Get your lazy butt off the bed, Sakura. You still need to train." He said. There was an order in his tone, one that I would do good not to ignore, so I stood up, wincing as I did so. He smirked.

"She's easier to convince than Tsuna." Reborn said, looking at Hibari. "I'll leave the two of you alone then." He added and left. Hibari just nodded, silently looking at me.

I gulped and held my arm behind my back, holding his steel cobalt blue eyes with my brown ones. His frown deepened when his gaze transferred to a black and blue bruise on my arm.

Slipping one hand inside his pocket, he brought out a small round container that I realized was an ointment for bruises.

"Herbivore," he said, referring to me, "come here."

I moved rather sluggishly as I obeyed, grumbling inside about why I had to subject to _him_, of all people.

When I moved too slowly, he walked towards me and pushed back on the bed.

"Sit." He commanded. I immediately sat down.

Unscrewing the cap, he stuck one finger inside and smeared it with the ointment. Then, he held my wrist, outstretching my arm. I winced when he did. He looked at me once before turning back to my bruised arm. With his cream-coated finger, he lightly rubbed the ointment over my bruise and did the same on my other arm. Afterwards, he wrapped my arms in bandage to avoid swelling.

Throughout the process, he was gentle in handling me, as if he had already done it a thousand times. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask but I didn't. I was still angry at him for insulting me a while ago though I confess it helped me draw out my flame.

Maybe that was why he had been hard on me.

I brushed away the thought. He was a sadistic guy. He couldn't have had any ulterior motives nor could he have been thinking of how much his word was going to cut me. I pursed my lips throughout the treatment, looking at the white wall.

When he finished, he cleaned off his fingers and pocketed the ointment before turning to leave.

"Thanks." I told him stiffly, his back to me.

He didn't bother to reply or turn around as he left.

-Line breaker still isn't working even after a month of absence.-

"Sakura must be angry at you." Rebron commented as soon as he Hibari stepped out of the room. Hibari's face remained impassive.

"I imagine so."

"It doesn't matter. But aren't you going to tell her _anything_ about her future self?"

"No. She'll only be distracted."

"She'll want to know. She might leave if she finds out."

"I'll deal with it then." Hibari said in a tone that broke no arguments. Reborn looked at him.

"Your problem then, I guess." He said as he left.

Staring at the door where Sakura was resting, his expression became soft, his usually stern lips in a frown and he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to alleviate the pain.

The way with which she looked at him was nothing short of burning hatred.

And he knew that she would never see her smile at him again.

-Line breaker still isn't working even after a month of absence.-

The rest of the week was exactly like hell.

Everyday, we would train and rest only at night and during meal times. Tsuna could go to the training room at eight in the morning but I had to go there at freaking _five_! Just because Hibari said that I was dumber and weaker than Tsuna, he made more time for training me than he did with Tusna.

Though he had it rougher than I did, the endless round of sparring with devil-incarnate Hibari Kyouya drained all my energy, leaving me bruised and sweating after every practice. Kyoko and Haru voiced out their concern once when I had no energy left to even pick up my chopsticks. And every time Hibari was training Tsuna, Lal would train with me. I found out that she was a much more merciless teacher than Hibari who sometimes let me rest for five minutes.

All in all, I was ready to give up, crawl into a hole and die.

When I showed the slightest bit of complaint, Hibari would always say in an impassive and bored tone, "Hn, herbivore, you're weaker than I thought."

Then the training would resume.

I plopped down on the chair in my room, after one hard training session as Lal had just finished with me and Hibari was still training with Tsuna.

I would have to wait until they finished getting my own slice of torture.

As such, I began to browse through the various file folders stacked neatly on my desk, my curiosity piqued ever since the first day I got here.

Most of the folders contained completed missions from previous times and paperwork in what I recognized as my neat handwriting. When I opened the desk drawer, I saw a blue notebook that looked non-professional and I took it out. As I did, a picture fell out. Picking it up, I saw that it was a portrait of my grandmother. My eyebrows furrowed.

_Now why would I keep a picture of her in a notebook? _I wondered. I turned it back and read the inscription behind the picture.

Assuming that the picture was mine, it was a habit of mine to write inscriptions behind pictures that I collected. I would write the date, the place, dedication and reason why the picture was taken. I suppose I wanted to preserve memories that way.

When I read the inscription though, I had to read it twice, just to make sure I wasn't wrong. My hand shook and my mind turned blank. Silent tears started to flow down my cheeks and the picture fell from my hand.

"No. No, this isn't true…" I murmured to myself, trying to convince myself that whatever was written on the picture was a joke. A cruel joke.

But I couldn't mistake my own handwriting.

Picking up the picture again, my face became dead-set and determined. I stuffed it inside my pocket and picked up my fans before I left my room.

There was only one way to confirm if what was written on the picture was true.

I would have to confront Hibari Kyouya.

...

Written on the back of the picture was this:

"_Forever shall I carry my heart's scars, the death of my grandmother, and swear on my grave to avenge her. _

_Millefiore, you shall pay dearly for the crime that you have done."_

-Line breaker still isn't working even after a month of absence.-

Thank you so very much for reading this chapter! I'm really sorry for the very late update. I still have to warn you that my next update may be slower and that I won't be able to update again during the last two weeks of July and the first weeks of August. It's the schedule of our quarterly examination and I need to prepare for it. I hope you understand. I'll try to squeeze in a chapter before the date though. Unlucky thirteen. Oh joy.

So the last part wasn't all that good. This thing has been waiting in my computer for more than a month now and I only just finished it. I ran out of creative juice when I did this. I am terribly sorry for such a crappy chapter.

School has renewed my point of view and I guess shed off a part of my imagination, delaying any possible updates. I apologize for all those who have been waiting for this- if you have been waiting that is.

Anyway, feel free to comment, flame, criticize and say what you have to say. It's only a push of a button away!


	13. The Graveyard Visit

I know, I know I broke my promise but guess what? I got a beta reader! Now my work won't be full of crap! Thank you very much to **omgpink **for recommending **VIVIANVAMPYRIC! **And thank you **VIVIANVAMPYRIC! **You are the best!

I want to thank the following who have taken their time to give me a review. Your comments mean very much to me as I consider them basis for the progress of my story. Thank you very much! **XxMichyBabyxX****, ****Namikaze Hatake****, ****Lineria****, ****Leo's Katanas****, Wolfie09, soren011, ****Fun-sized Friend****, ****DatAznKid****, ****EvilBoyzR2Cute****, ****Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara****, ****Kanra-chan****, ****music fans****, ****Rya-chan X Shii-chan****, ****omgpink****!**

Thank you very much for your continued support!

Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reobrn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 13: The Graveyard Visit

_Hibari's POV_

Her scream of rage reached them before she was through the door.

"HIBARI!" Sakura screamed as she barged in the room, her fans at her side and ready. Tsuna immediately descended to the ground, detecting that there was something odd with his Wind Guardian. Hibari stopped in mid-attack and turned to face Sakura until he was blown to the wall by a huge tornado.

He raised his tonfas just in time to dissipate another incoming attack.

Admittedly a bit bewildered by the sudden hostility, he cut through another air wave and charged at Sakura. He was prepared to beat her up for daring to disturb his training with Tsunayoshi until he saw her eyes.

His tonfas were blocking her fans while a tornado raged around them, threatening to slam Hibari into the wall at the slightest sign of weakness, and he noticed them then.

They were cold, raging and angry with a tinge of silver.

The eyes that promised no mercy and showed blind rage.

The look she wore at that era when she learned that her grandmother had been murdered by the Millefiore.

And it meant that she was unstoppable.

Somehow, she must have found out that her grandmother was dead and turning her inside rage on him. Having known her well for a few years made psychoanalyzing her easier.

He gritted his teeth as he pushed against her, finally succeeding in making her step back.

_I will have to calm her down again_, he thought irritably as he jumped away from her, lips turned into a deep frown and his eyebrows narrowed.

Had he been dealing with the Sakura of that era, he would have only needed to hold her as she cried and restrain her as she sought revenge.

He would only have had to silence her protests, her cries of rage, with his lips against hers and everything would have been all right.

He would have talked her out of committing suicide by charging to the Millefiore base and unleashing her vengeance- added his pair of arms encircled around her waist and his lips at her ear- and she would have stopped and dissolved into tears in his arms.

But he was dealing with Sakura of _ten years ago_, the Sakura who had no idea that she was unconsciously tying her heart to his that the embers of affection were starting to stir and light and who could very possibly hate him at that moment.

He was dealing with a younger version of the woman he loved and it irritated him to have the same woman- albeit ten years younger -hate him.

It was a frustrating situation added all the more by the fact that he _couldn't_ let her know about the truth them.

It would have made things much easier, her rage susceptible and he _wouldn't_ have had to put up a show of indifference- resulting into possibly extinguishing what little affection she had already for him.

Although he didn't admit it, he missed having the Sakura of his era around. He recalled the last time they met, the last time they touched…

_Flashback_

_Her light and care-free laugh sounded like such a stark contrast to what she had been through recently- what they were currently going through. _

_Forcing himself to look impassive proved much harder that day than the other days seeing the blatant look of agony in her eyes albeit the seemingly childish smile she had on. He grunted when Tsunayoshi had dismissed the both of them after discussing the last of the herbivore's supposedly well-laid out plans._

"_This better work, Tsunayoshi." he added as a final warning before they left the room. Sakura was beside him, unconsciously holding the hem of his coat- a definite sign of anxiety though she was seemingly calm and cheerful._

_Tsuna smiled sadly, more at Sakura than at him._

"_I'm sure it will." He said with firmness and confidence he wouldn't have been able to muster years ago._

"_Of course, it will, Kyouya-kun! If it won't, then why are you following him?" Sakura quipped, her lips a bright joking smile. Hibari looked briefly at her then at Tsuna whose smile dimmed a bit. She hadn't noticed the exchange between the two men._

_He didn't bother replying._

"_Well, I wish the two of you the best of luck. Take care." Tsuna said with finality. Sakura let go for a brief second and hugged Tsuna, her lips quivering at the edges. She cleared her throat before she replied._

"_Will do, Tsuna-kun. Take care, too! I know this will all work out." She said confidently, smiling._

_He smiled back at her and nodded. "Aa." He said. He nodded at Hibari and left the two of them alone. Sakura watched his retreating back until he disappeared to another hallway before facing Hibari, her lips quivering more, wet drops now present in her eyes._

_It was obvious she was scared._

_Yet that smile was still present on her lips._

_He wanted to knock his tonfas in her face, just to make her spill the tears she'd been trying to hold for all this time. _

_He clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his palm, at an attempt to stay calm._

_Brushing the tears away, she cleared her throat once more and saw her inconspicuously pinch herself before she opened her mouth to speak without wavering._

"_For the record, I _am _crying." She said, her voice cracking just a bit. His face remained impassive. He had made it clear that he would only let her cry and would only offer her his shoulder for the day she found out of her grandmother's death and on her burial and nothing more. She had agreed and he was not going back on his word._

_No matter how much he wanted to take her in his arms and let her tears spill._

_He couldn't afford to be soft with her._

_This was war and she knew that for a fact._

_But that didn't mean he couldn't feel her pain._

_She continued to speak though she turned her back to him-probably to avoid being overwhelmed by his gaze and let the tears spill. _

"_I'll be leaving today for Namimori to get everything set in my place. Afterwards, I'll follow Tsuna to Italy and who knows what will happen from there." She paused for a second before she added in a matter-of-factly tone._

"_They'll surely kill me after Byakuran's finished with Tsuna."_

_His fingers dug into his palm harder but she didn't seem to notice._

"_I expect my person of ten-years ago to arrive shortly, a day or two after the Tsuna of ten-years-ago arrives. Prepare to have your hands full!" she said the last line cheerfully, and turned to face him when she did. She walked closer to him when she received no response._

_Looking down at the floor, she spoke again in a low and pained tone._

"_So, I guess this is goodbye."_

_He did not reply. _

_Looking up, her smile was sad and she continued to speak._

"_I promise I won't fail you, Kyouya. Neither will my person from ten years ago." _

_She coined the term 'person' which referred to her self from ten years ago ever since she became aware of Tsunayoshi's plan. As always, she had given him full support and had been the crutch on which he leaned on when overwhelmed by agony. Hibari would have been jealous if she hadn't always looked at him with eyes that spoke of her deep affection for him._

_In any case, he was, though only to a minimum extent._

_She looked at him, waiting expectantly for a reply._

"_I expect you to keep that in mind, herbivore." He replied before he drew her into a kiss._

_The last thing he saw of her was her bright smile and waving hand as she ran across the hallway to catch her flight to Japan._

_End of flashback_

"You didn't even bother telling me!" she screamed at him as she threw him with one attack after another. He kept blocking, trying to think of some way to disarm her.

"She was my grandmother! I deserved to know." She continued to scream. Tears now flowed freely down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

"You would have been distracted." He replied when she paused in her attack. "It was only a trivial thing."

The silver in her dark brown eyes became more prominent.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because he suddenly found himself airborne.

"YOU THINK SOMEONE YOU LOVE WHO HAS DIED IS A TRIVIAL THING?" she screamed at him, her attacks more forceful than before. When he was about to reach the wall, he bent his knees, and using the momentum he gained, kicked off and charged towards her.

Ironically, their battle was the same way as when she had fought with him the first time they crossed weapons.

He was going to launch a full-on attack if Tsuna hadn't suddenly flown in between of them.

"Yamero, Sakura." He said with his gloved hand coated in orange flames held up. During their battle, he had been able to make out the fact that Sakura's grandmother had been murdered by the Millefiore. He decided to stop their ensuing battle unless one of them ended up getting killed.

Sakura immediately stopped and glared at him.

"Get out of the way, Tsuna! This isn't any of your business." She said impatiently. Hibari stopped behind him, waiting to see how Tsuna would handle her.

He didn't budge but his expression towards Sakura softened.

"You know this isn't his fault." Tsuna replied. "Killing Hibari would resolve nothing."

"I don't care! It's his fault why my grandmother's dead."

"Hibari didn't kill your grandmother, Sakura. Remember that Yamamoto's father was also a victim of the Millefiore. You're not the only one who's lost someone you love."

Contemplating his words, the silver in her eyes abruptly vanished and she descended to the ground slowly, landing on her knees. Clutching her fans to her chest, her sobs filled the empty room and Hibari closed his eyes for a second, trying to ignore Sakura's pitiful cries.

Descending on the floor in front of Sakura, the flame on Tsuna's forehead disappeared and with concern in his big brown eyes, bent down to Sakura until they were eye-level.

"Sakura-chan…" his voice was soft. "I'm very sorry that you're grandmother had to be involved." He said, apologizing.

"It's not your fault." She murmured hoarsely, still not looking up.

They were silent for a few moments until Hibari walked over to them.

"Get up, herbivore." He said in a monotone voice, one purple-flamed tonfa directed at Tsuna's head. "We're still not done."

"Hiiiee! H-Hai, Hibari-san." Tsuna screamed, panicking at the close proximity of Hibari's tonfa and stood up immediately. He cast a worried look at Sakura and held out his hand to help her stand. She took it and stood up.

As Hibari watched their short interaction, he became aware that Sakura's face was unreadable- almost a perfect imitation of his poker face. He frowned, his eyes narrowing.

As though she was thoroughly subdued, she walked out of the room without another word.

* * *

"I want to visit her grave." She announced, as he was silently drinking his tea that morning.

It was approximately a day after she had released her rage on him and for that time, she had neither apologized-like he expected her too- nor had she made any direct contact, choosing to lock herself in her room and ignore him whenever they crossed paths. Now, she knelt in front of him, clad in normal jeans as if she was going to leave.

Assessing her, her face was stoic- no trace of emotion present- and her posture, sure without a hint of her usual uncertainty. He felt a slight tug at his heart but ignored it.

"No."

"I'll still go, even if you don't agree to it."

"You live in my base, you abide by my rules."

"Then I move out. Honestly, I don't see the sense in staying here at all when I spend my time at Tsuna's base."

"No."

"Why? Haven't you tortured me enough already?" her tone started to rise at this point and he detected frustration and anger.

"You will not leave this base." He tried to infuse as much authority as he had in his words.

"And who are you to order me around?" she asked incredulously. "You sound pretty bossy for someone who isn't supposed to care about anyone."

He didn't reply.

She stood up at that and proceeded to the door but stopped as she reached a hand to open it.

"You know, I only came here to inform you about my leave, that I'd be missing today's practice and that I'd be back before sundown or later." She said causally. "I didn't really ask for your permission."

"You won't be able to leave the base regardless."

"We'll see."

She left with those words hanging between them.

* * *

"You know she'll find a way to get out." Reborn said, leaning against the wall as he and Hibari watched Tsuna train with Lal- Sakura being nowhere to be inflicted her wrath upon.

"She won't." Hibari said confidently though he wondered if she would.

"The wind blows both ways." Reborn reminded him. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's already thought it through before she came to speak to you."

"I assume she already has."

"Then she'll find a way out."

_No matter how many barriers you put, the wind will always pass through, a whisper in the night._

Hibari was about to reply when Kusakabe suddenly burst through the door, panting and with a look of alarm on his face.

"Kyo-san!" he said upon spotting Hibari.

Hibari frowned at the state of his right-hand man.

"What is it, Tetsuya?" he asked. He expected a report of Millefiore soldiers trying to make a mess in Namimori but the words he heard weren't what he expected to hear.

"Sakura-san is missing."

Hibari's eyes widened slightly and Reborn smirked under the shadow of fedora hat.

Kusakabe continued to talk. "Lambo, I-pin and I have searched everywhere, including Fuuta and the girls but we can't find her. Giannini then checked the security cameras in the Vongola base before checking ours and he saw her walking away from the Namimori Shrine."

"Looks like she found a way." Reborn commented.

Hibari's frown deepened and he briskly walked out of the room without another word.

Though he hated to admit it, the baby _was_ right.

Just like what he had predicted, Sakura had left.

And all because he didn't think of telling her about her grandmother sooner.

Grabbing a set of Cloud Rings and his box weapons, he made his way out of the base and started his search for the Vongola Wind Guardian.

He just hoped the Millefiore didn't beat him to it.

* * *

_Sakura's POV_

I walked slowly around Namimori without any fear of being caught.

The funny thing was, after I found out of my grandmother's death, I felt devoid of any feelings.

I had extinguished my rage by unjustly attacking Hibari- which I have yet to apologize and feel guilty for- and after that, I felt numbness. Nothing would register itself on my mind and yesterday felt like I was in a limbo- no sense of direction, just doing things repeatedly without any discourse.

My sudden decision about visiting my grandmother was a sudden impulse, something that popped out of the blue. And when the idea formed, it became necessary, like I needed air to breathe.

Maybe I was just seeking confirmation of her death because I was still holding on to that last shred of hope that she was still alive, maybe I just wanted to pay my last respects but whatever the reason, I couldn't find any justifiable alibi as to why I had to defy Hibari, escape from the base and risk myself getting caught and killed by the Millefiore.

It defied logical thinking.

I knew deep down that Hibari was right. I knew that I would be safer in the base and avoid any unnecessary trouble and that if we were to alter the future here, then I wouldn't need to see her grave- nor would it exist, for that matter.

But I was restless.

I wanted to beat myself up for not being there to protect her.

I wanted to find some way to atone for my mistakes.

Even if it hadn't been caused by me but me from this era, I still felt responsible for what happened. I still felt like I should visit her, at the very least.

And so here I was, aimlessly walking around Namimori shopping district on my way to the cemetery.

Somehow, I had managed to remain unnoticed to the Millefiore soldiers creeping along every corner of the street and I was secretly thankful. I was able to make my way to the cemetery a little ways off the town center unscathed.

That was until I reached the entrance to the cemetery.

Black Spell soldiers littered the area and I felt a shiver of fear go through me but no more than that. Again, the numbness took away my ability to fear so I walked straight towards the entrance.

The Black Spell soldiers looked up at my approach.

They wore identical black suits and some were leering at me. I played it cool and pretended to not mind them as I passed but on a stroke of bad luck, one of them must have recognized me because he grabbed my arm.

I felt a powerful surge of irritation and hatred pass through me that stayed.

"Oi! I think this is the girl we're looking for." He said, peering into my face. I shook off his grip but the others had already surrounded me. One of them leaned a bit towards me, furrowing his brows.

A look of recognition lighted his face as realization dawned on him.

"Yeah! I think she is." He said excitedly.

"Then why isn't she attacking?"

"Beats me. We have to take her back to base."

"But what if she's a civilian?"

"Who cares? She's here, isn't she? Then that means she's here to visit her grandmother, just like that Irie Shouichi said."

Irie Shouichi.

That was the third time I've heard his name since my arrival in this era. I was confused as to why _he_ would have any connection to what we were currently facing but I had no time to spare to ponder on the thought as they were closing in on me.

Like the first time, they all jumped at me simultaneously but I was ready.

In a flash of lightning, I was already up in the air, my ring and my fans aflame in silver. They looked up at me, their mouths hanging agape.

"It is her! Quick! Release your box weapons."

I descended to the ground and they came at me all at once. Differently colored weapons greeted me as I did and I blew them all away with one wave of my fan.

I was happy to note that I was stronger than the last time I faced them.

I fended off their attacks easily, having been used to Hibari's constant stream of attacks, and my reaction time was much faster than before. In a matter of minutes, they all lay on the ground, unconscious and moaning in pain.

I left them there with not so much as a feeling of satisfaction.

It took me a while to find her grave as the Namimori Cemetery was quite large and I had to look at every gravestone I passed by. By the time that I found hers, it was already late afternoon and the dark that were forming a while ago now converged in the sky, warning me of a heavy rain later on.

I was feeling hopeless then when I spotted her name, engraved in a gray. I quickly rushed over and knelt before it, staring at it as if it was an illusion, a mirage that was waiting to disappear.

But there could be no mistaking her name.

"Hitako Megumi…" I breathed in, my voice shaking. "Obaa-san…"

The thunder sounded at that exact same time.

Rain started to fall in heavy drops and I was oblivious to it.

She was dead.

And it was all because of me.

* * *

I hope you like this one. I kind of cut it short because I wanted to update sooner as I know I owe you guys big time! By the way, I'll be replacing my other chapters slowly as **VIVIANVAMPYRIC **is in the process of editing them.

Thank you very much for reading this and the time you took! I really thank you guys!

Please, please, please leave a review and tell me what you think of this!

P.S. Bea! Alam ko nariyan ka at nagbabasa nito. Mag-iwan ka naman ng iyong saloobin o! Kukulitin kita sa klase, sige ka!

P.P.S. I finally remembered my old lessons from Web page Designing! I can put a line breaker now!


	14. Reminisce

Sorry for not updating for such a long time! How many months has it been? I deeply apologize! Please forgive me! I'm really sorry! I updated this as soon as VIVIANVAMPYRIC finished editing it. Thank you very much, VIVIANVAMPYRIC!

Thanks to all those who read and reviewed and put this in their favorite and alert list! Thank you so very much though I will not be mentioning the names! I currently have a Math test to prepare for. So very sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome anime, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

* * *

Howling Wind

By: Fire Princess21

Chapter 14: Reminisce

_Hibari's POV_

Looking through her things in her old room was like going down memory lane.

Her battered cleats sat on her shoe shelf in their place of honor.

A few trophies adorned a different shelf on one side of the room.

Her study table still had a few notebooks stacked on top, as if school had never ended for her.

Her computer sat on the other side of her desk.

Pictures frames of various people stood on her night stand.

He picked up the one that had both of them in it and his sharp gaze softened.

He remembered the first and only picture of them he had allowed her to take when they became official.

She was holding his arm in front of a Sakura tree, her cheek against his shoulder. She was smiling goofily and he was looking away as if he didn't care but his cheeks were slightly pink. Flushed.

That was the first time she had ever kissed him on the cheek spontaneously before the picture was taken- which would explain his flushed cheeks.

And it was also their first date.

_Flashback…_

"_Kyoya!" she called him. He was walking ahead, feeling odd that he was out _enjoying _the day, not patrolling Namimori._

_And he was enjoying it with a _girl.

_He turned around irritably for the umpteenth time she dared call him by his first name that day. _

_She was standing closer than he had actually thought and his cheek met with her lips with a resounding smack._

_It wasn't painful._

_But the feeling of another human's touch- especially her lips on his cheek was certainly… different- not to say that he didn't like it._

_She was the first one to step away, smiling sheepishly._

"_I wanted to ask if you would want to take a picture for remembrance." She said, looking at the ground. Her hand was already around her camera, fiddling with it nervously._

"_Fine."_

_His answer surprised him more than it surprised her. _

_She grinned at him happily and took his arm, pulling him close to her and with her other hand, she positioned her camera at a distance. He looked away, his cheeks tinted very slightly red._

"_Cheese!"_

_She clicked the button and there was a flash._

_She framed the picture and placed it beside her bed a week after._

_End of flashback_

Leaving the frame empty, he pocketed the picture and left her room.

* * *

_Sakura's POV _

A drop of water woke me with a start.

I sat up from my fetal position on the ground and looked around wildly, forgetting momentarily that I had fallen asleep on my grandmother's grave until I saw her name again. Wiping my eyes from dried tears, the rain suddenly fell harder.

I did not get up, savoring the rain like an early morning shower.

I shivered and sneezed, not making any effort to get up and out of the rain.

I heard footsteps suddenly, echoing on the stone path.

Standing up, I turned around to my right and saw a bush of familiar white hair some distance away.

I felt a stab of fear.

Squinting through the sheet of rain, I could barely make out the person.

But there could only be one person who would visit me coincidentally on rainy days.

I waited with baited breath as the person- undoubtedly male in my perception- made his way towards me.

Could it really be him? Could he really have been able to find me here in the future?

"Oya, oya, Sakura-chan!" Byakuran said, as he came closer. "What are you doing here?"

I flipped my fans open.

I was not going to live under the shadow of fear he cast over me.

* * *

_Hibari's POV_

He went to many of her favorite haunts before he finally proceeded to the cemetery.

He wasn't entirely sure after all if she really was going to go where she said she was, given the chance to explore. He grimaced at the time he had wasted. Working to remain incognito under suspecting eyes, trying to find one single girl in a crowd…

He would have given anything to tear his way through the crowd and run to the cemetery to find her.

But he had to be patient, to be careful.

It would only take one wrong move to attract unnecessary attention and he couldn't risk that. Though he could handle any number of herbivorous Millefiore soldiers, it would only alert them to the presence of Sakura around the parts of Namimori.

He continued to walk unbidden by rain clouds that converged in the sky.

He finally passed the crowded town center and was not at all surprised to find a troop of Millefiore soldiers waiting for him there.

He had no time to waste as he grew more anxious by the moment.

Slipping on a C class Cloud ring, he took out his box weapon, lit his ring and inserted the flame into the box.

The Millefiore soldiers were startled to find an armed Hibari making his way towards them and took out their weapons also, eyeing Hibari warily, almost fearfully.

"W-We're not afraid of you!" one of them stuttered, pointing his weapon at Hibari.

"Get out of my way." He growled.

And the fight began.

* * *

_Sakura's POV _

"That's not a way to greet an old friend!" Byakuran said with a pretend pout.

"You killed my grandmother." I said silently, looking at her grave. "How can you call yourself my friend?"

"Oya, oya! I didn't kill your grandmother." He said. "Her blood is not my hands."

"It doesn't matter." I replied. "I'll stop you. No matter what, I swear I will stop you." My grip on my fans tightened before I lowered them. I was boiling for the chance to hit him now but I knew I couldn't. Somehow, I felt _he_ was in control of the situation.

No, I would wait, and train to become stronger and then defeat him.

A new sort of determination boiled within the very depths of my soul.

And I suspected he sensed it too.

He smiled at me, wider this time, mockingly.

"But I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just purging the world of you Vongolas." He said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Leave me alone." I hissed at him. "You have no right to be here."

"All right." He held up his hands in surrender, "I just wanted to tell you something."

I eyed him warily as he walked towards me, when he stopped beside me, he spoke in a low tone that only I could hear.

"You must not have known, Sakura-chan, that I offered you to join me." He said. "The you of this era vehemently declined though it is still open to you. Think about it. I would certainly love to steal you from Hibari-chan!"

I gritted my teeth.

"If I- of this era- declined already, what makes you think _I _would join you now?"

"If I told you I could resurrect you grandmother, would you consider the chance?"

My eyes widened in surprise. He smiled slyly in response.

"Not even the almighty Vongola could give you that gift."

I was speechless. For a minute, I considered his offer.

My grandmother would be alive again.

I could live with her again and be ignorant of this mess once more.

But it wouldn't be fair.

To drag her into this mess, to wake her from eternal slumber… It wouldn't be fair or right. And would she even be proud of what I would have done? My selfish wants for the betrayal of my friends?

His offer wasn't the answer.

"It would be a curse to make her live again for my own selfish reasons." I said through clenched teeth.

"Well, the offer still stands in case you change your mind." He said with a final smile.

And he was gone like a whisper of the wind.

I opened my eyes when I felt something warm being draped on my back.

Rubbing my eyes, I looked up and saw Hibari looming over me.

Byakuran had just been a dream.

* * *

_Hibari's POV_

He saw her sitting cross-legged in front of her grandmother's grave, eyes closed, head drooped, as if in silent prayer.

For a moment, he thought she was injured but there were no visible blood stains nor were her weapons drawn. At the entrance of the cemetery, there had been evidence of a fight- even before he came- and he thought of her encounter with the Millefiore troop.

It would be a lie to say he hadn't released his pent-up breath when he saw her, safe and sound and, possibly, sleeping.

Walking closer, he clutched a bouquet of flowers in one hand, something he picked up after defeating the Millefiore soldiers.

Carefully, he shrugged off his jacket as light rain began to pour and draped it lightly around her. She sat up straight, eyes opening. She rubbed her eyes and saw them widen when she saw him.

"Hibari?" she asked, tone both surprised and uncertain. He did not respond. Instead, he bent down beside her and placed the flowers in front of her grandmother's grave. She blinked at him.

She clutched his jacket around her shoulders tightly, biting her lip.

"I didn't think of that." She murmured, referring to the bouquet of white flowers. He stood up and dug his hands inside his pocket.

"Cover your head." He said. She obediently did so, covering her head with his jacket. She looked up at him quizzically.

"What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

"I came to visit." He replied nonchalantly.

"Why? You didn't even know my grandmother."

"Did you?"

He could see that his question took her by surprise. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. You have a lot to learn." He replied suspiciously. She surveyed him, eyes narrowed, before she returned her gaze to her grandmother's grave, apparently deciding that that was all he was going to give.

The way she looked at her grandmother's grave made him want to pull her into a tight hug but he restrained himself.

He couldn't tell the truth, not yet. Not the whole truth, anyway.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke.

"Let's go." He said, offering her his hand. Staring at it, she realized it was exactly like the first time they had met in this era. She took it without hesitation.

When she stood up, she stared at him, as of searching his face, her eyebrows furrowed.

He began to walk, leaving her there, as he knew she would follow.

After a few seconds, she did, running to catch up to him.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked suspiciously, trying to keep up.

She waited, stopping in her tracks, to see if he would answer.

He kept on walking.

"Hey!" she called out to him. "Hibari!"

He kept on walking.

"Hibari!"

He pretended to be deaf.

"Hibari-san!"

He was already far away. He almost didn't hear her.

"I'm sorry, Hibari!" she called out.

He stopped walking.

Did she just apologize?

She ran up to him again as he stopped and bowed low in front of him.

"I'm sorry I attacked you," she started. "I'm sorry I blamed you. It's not your fault. If there's anyone to be blamed, it's me. I am truly sorry." She stood up straight. "I hope you can still accept me as your student."

He looked at her briefly before proceeding to walk away. She followed.

"Are you still mad? You haven't been answering any of my questions."

"I choose not to answer them because they are pointless."

The drop in her expression tugged at his heart.

"Oh." They stopped walking.

He faced her, expression softening.

He was frustrated at her, for running away, for causing everyone trouble, and for all the things that could have happened but thankfully didn't.

And he was most frustrated at her for making him worry.

It wasn't every day that anything could make him worry.

"Let's go," he said softly. "The others are worried about you." He started to take a step but she didn't budge. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm tired," she said wearily. "Can we rest for a while? I feel dizzy."

It was rare of her to complain, he thought. She must be feeling sick after being in the rain for so long.

Approaching her, he bent down slightly in front of her.

She blinked at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Carrying you," he answered. "Staying here further is dangerous. We need to get back now."

"You're going to give me a piggy-back ride?" she asked incredulously. And she thought she'd never live to see the day Hibari actually did anything for anyone.

"Yes," he said irritably. "Now put your arms around my neck."

She obediently did so and with both of his hands, he took hold of her legs, supporting her weight and started to walk.

It was silence again between them.

But he could tell she was blushing. He smirked.

After a few moments, he felt her face press against the crook of neck and she realized she was asleep.

He was surprised by the sudden contact, stopping for a second in his walk.

He continued after a while, savoring it.

This was as close as he could probably get to her.

And he wasn't going to waste a second of it.

* * *

Her breath tickled the skin of his neck and when he pressed his cheek against her forehead, she felt warm.

Maybe she had a fever.

He frowned at the thought.

They were almost at the base now.

He could wake her up and make her change her clothes before tending to her needs.

She couldn't get sick at a time like this.

She stirred slightly, moving her head, but didn't wake up.

His pace became faster as he climbed the steps to the temple which also served as his base. Entering through the door, he was immediately greeted by Kusakabe.

"Kyo-san! Sawada and the others-" he stopped when he saw him carrying Sakura, sleeping on his back.

"Get hot water ready and a towel." Hibari ordered him and proceeded to her room.

He put her down on the bed where she opened her eyes slightly.

"Change into warm clothes." He ordered her. "I'll come back in a few minutes." She nodded sleepily and stepped out of her room to give her some privacy.

Getting the hot water and the towel from Kusakabe, he also prepared a cup of hot tea and medicine for her.

She was sleeping soundly on the bed when he entered her room.

Again, his expression softened as he saw her curled up on the bed.

Sitting beside her, he brushed her hair from her cheek. She turned around and sighed.

He took the towel soaked in warm water from the basin and squeezed the water out before folding it and placing it on her forehead. She groaned and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hibari-san?" she said tiredly.

"Sit up. You need to drink your medicine if you don't want to get sick." He said.

Groggily, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Taking the aspirin and the cup of tea from his hands, she swallowed both in one gulp.

"Thanks." She murmured sleepily and lay back down, asleep within a few seconds.

Hibari took the hot towel that fell on her lap and left the room.

His eyes lingered a few seconds on her sleeping form before closing the door.

* * *

Yeah, it sucks, I know. I had and have a lot of things to do so I apologize again if this didn't meet your expectations! I'm really sorry!

But as boldly as I updated this chapter, I will also daringly ask you, my dear readers, to please leave a review! And a few suggestions too. I'm running out of ideas. I'm really sorry! Thank you very much!

P.S. Not sure when I'll update next. Ehehehehe... So very sorry! Also, I don't think the title matches the content of the story. I'll make the next one better. Whenever that is...


End file.
